What Isn't Killing Us
by StarrStellar
Summary: Celes decides to move her and her daughter to the city trying to attempt a new life. What happens when she meets someone that could be just as dangerous as the life she's trying to leave behind?
1. An Early Morning

1

**Chapter One**: **An Early Morning**

Billy Darley sat in the back booth at Big Mike's Diner. It was still early, and he was sipping on a cup of coffee; trying to nurse the hangover from the night before. Most of all he was stalling, before he had to head over to his father's chop shop. A place he never looked forward to going to. Billy picked up the cup and took a drink of it.

"Hi!" someone said cheerfully. He slowly put the cup down to see a little girl sitting straight across from him. She was small, and couldn't be more than four or five years old. Hear hair was a mop of dark brown curls with pale skin. Her eyes were bright blue and she had a splash of freckles across her cheeks. She held a ragged cloth doll under her arms. "My name is Savannah, what's your name?" Billy just stared sternly at the girl. "And this is Molly Dolly." She held up the ragged cloth doll. " She's five, like me." Billy quickly darted his eyes around the diner, but no one seemed to noticed the little girl sitting across from him. "I can count to twenty, can you?"

"Didn't your mother tell you not to talk to strangers?" Billy mumbled.

"Molly Dolly doesn't think you're a stranger," she said with a smile. "Molly Dolly likes you."

"Well she shouldn't."

"Why do you have tattoos on your neck?" Billy didn't answer her, but picked up his cup of coffee instead. He took another drink from it and set it back down on the table. The little girl watched him carefully and then giggled a little. "You don't have any hair." She reached over grabbing the creamer containers and started stacking them on the table, now completely ignoring Billy. She started humming and rocking her head left to right. Billy heard footsteps approaching the table and looked up to see his friend Bodie standing in front of him. Bodie looked over at the little girl and pointed at her.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"I'm Savannah," she answered not looking up at him. She reached over grabbing more creamer containers and stacking them. Billy leaned forward and glared at Savannah. She slowly looked up at him, her bright blue eyes staring sternly back.

"Go away," Billy said flatly.

"No," replied placing the last container on top. "What's your guy's names?"

"If I tell you, will you go away?" Billy asked. She didn't answer him and Billy let out a sigh.

"Billy, and that's Bodie. Now go away." Savannah looked up at Bodie and crinkled her nose.

"I don't like you,"she said. Bodie let out a loud laugh and clapped his hands together.

"She doesn't like me, but she's sitting next to you? Where's ya mother little girl?" Bodie asked. Savannah pointed across the room. Billy followed the direction of Savannah's finger. A girl who looked to be in her early twenties was leaned over the counter counting out money.

"I don't know how the fuck you do it Darley," Bodie said shaking his head. Savannah's eyes popped and her jaw dropped.

"Ummmm!" She yelled pointing her finger at Bodie. She quickly scattered to her feet, standing on the seat of the booth. "Mommy!" she yelled. "He said a bad word!" The girl behind the counter shot her head up.

"Savannah!" she yelled throwing down the bills in her hands. She quickly came around the counter and towards the booth. Billy looked up getting a better look at her. Her hair was the same dark brown as her daughters, but pulled back in a ponytail. Loose ends of her hair swooshed against her face, but you could still see her bright blue eyes. She quickly grabbed Savannah out of the booth, and held her up on her hip. When she looked over at Billy, he could see the same splash of freckles across her cheeks. Her daughter was the spitting image of her.

"I'm...," she stuttered staring at the man that her daughter had been sitting with. "I'm uh...sorry. Sorry that she bugged you." Billy didn't say anything, just stared cooly back at her. "I didn't see her...uh..." She didn't know what to say to him. He intimated her and she could feel the goose bumps slowly start to creep up on her skin. She looked at her daughter with a stern look in her eyes.

"Mom," Savannah said in a huff. "They're my friends."

"You don't talk to strangers," her mother said sternly.

"But mom, that's Billy," she said pointing. "And that's Bodie. They're not strangers."

Bodie raised and eyebrow at Billy and cleared his throat. "Hey," he looked down at her name tag. "_Celes_, could I get some coffee?" She brushed the loose strands out of her face and took her eyes off of Billy and onto Bodie. "Um..yeah. Sure, coming right up." She pulled Savannah up a little more and quickly walked away stealing one more glance at Billy.

Bodie sat down in the booth shrugging off his jacket. Billy pulled out a pack of cigarettes and placed one in his mouth. He felt around in his pockets, but came up with nothing. He looked up at Bodie who slid his lighter across the table. Billy caught it right before it fell and lit up his cigarette. He tossed the lighter back as Celes walked up with coffee in her hand. She placed it down on the table and could feel Billy's eyes on her. She glanced over, seeing him staring right at her, cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Did you want anything else?" she asked her eyes darting back over to Bodie.

"Yeah," he said flipping the menu open. "I'll have some eggs and an order of bacon." Celes pulled out her book of tickets and started jotting them down.

"How do you want your eggs?" she asked looking back at Bodie. Bodie smirked at her and leaned back in the booth.

"Surprise me," he said and Billy let out a faint chuckle. She could feel her face growing a little hot as she looked over at Billy.

"And you?" she asked almost cautiously. Billy took a long drag from his cigarette, slowly letting the smoke escape his lips.

"Nothing," he said staring right into her eyes. She quickly turned around and walked away heading to the kitchen to place the order up. There was something about his eyes, how they seem to cut right through her.

Savannah sat in a booth across the room, now coloring one of the paper place mats with a few broken crayons Celes had rounded up for her. It wasn't even her shift to be working, but her co-worker and roommate, Evie had called in because her car broke down on the side of the freeway. She promised to get to work as soon as possible. Savannah had been excited to be able to come to work with her, but Celes knew that she would be a handful. She had been good for the first part of the morning, sitting still in her booth, but now that the rush was over, she could tell her daughter was getting bored. Bored enough to crawl into a booth with a guy that should have scared the hell out of her.

Celes rounded the corner waiting on another table, making sure to glance at her daughter every few minutes. She didn't want her going back over and bugging them. She had only been in the city for over two weeks now, but the city was nothing like where she grew up. She could get a feel for people, and the two men that Savannah had tried to befriend were defiantly trouble. She just wished that Evie would hurry up and get here already. Celes went to the other tables, checking on everyone, when she heard the _bing_ of the bell that Big Mike (who wasn't really that big at all) hit when the orders were ready.

She hurried over to the kitchen grabbing the plate and heading back to the booth where the two men sat. She carefully placed the plate down in front of Bodie.

"Anything else for you?" she asked.

"Nah," he said then looked up as the front door chimes went off. "Well look who's decided to grace us this morning." Celes automatically looked over at the door to see two other men walking in. One was shorter, with dark hair, who couldn't been past eighteen years old. He strided in wearing a red leather jacket. The other man was around the same height, no hair, and had the same tribal tattoo creeping across his face. Celes stepped out of the way as the one with the tattoo on his face slid into the booth next to Bodie. The other one, grabbed a chair pulling it up to the table.

"What's going on Billy?" the one with the tattoo on his face asked. Billy looked sternly at him.

"What's going on?" he asked. "I dunno Tommy, what the fuck is going on with you two? Huh Joe?" He turned his head looking cooly at him. "You mind telling me what the hell happened to you two last night?"

"I'll just come back," Celes said quietly. Billy snapped his head up at her which made her freeze.

"No," he said then looked back at Joe and Tommy. "You two want something? Cause she's not going to fucking stand around all day."

"Coffee," Joe mumbled. "And an order of hash browns."

"I'll have the same," Tommy said looking down at the table. She scribbled the order down, and started to walk off when Billy reached over grabbing her arm. She stopped quickly and looked at him.

"I need a refill," he said. Celes nodded her head as he dropped his arm and looked back at the other men at the table. She put the ticket on the wheel and grabbed a pot of coffee heading back over to the table.

"If you two pull that kind of bullshit again, I'll beat ya to the ground. You got it?" Billy spat. "Now, hurry up and eat your food, we've got work to do." He didn't bother looking up at Celes as she filled his cup and walked off. She walked across the room setting the coffee pot on the table.

"You doing okay?" she asked Savannah.

"Yeah," she said not looking up at her mother. "Can we go home yet?"

"In just a little bit," she said smoothing down the top of her head. "Just make sure to stay over here, okay?"

"Okay," Savannah mumbled.

By the time Joe and Tommy's food was done, Evie had just walked in the door, and Celes let out a sigh of relief. Evie was twenty-four just like Celes. She was tall and thin, with full lips, and jet black hair. She was tanned and always had her nails done.

"I am so sorry!" Evie said as she rounded the corner. "You would not believe the idiots that came to tow my car. Seriously, I could have jacked the damn thing up better on my own. This guy...oh lord...don't even get me started!" Evie was also on the dramatic side, but that never bothered Celes. They had grown up together and even remained friends after Evie moved to the city when she was sixteen. Since the past year hadn't gone so well for Celes, Evie insisted that she and Savannah move in with her. She even helped her get a job at the diner, and was in the process of helping her find a good babysitter for Savannah.

"It's okay," Celes said grabbing the two plates of hash browns. "I'm glad you're here though, Savannah is about to die of boredom." Evie let out a laugh and grabbed an apron from under the counter. "She even tried to befriend those guys." Evie looked up following Celes's gaze and stopped in her tracks.

"She what?" Evie said with her eyes popping.

"Yeah, she just went over there and started talking to them. That one in the trench coat kind of freaks me out. His eyes-"

"Don't let her go back over there," Evie said quickly.

"You plan on moving those today Celes!" Big Mike yelled from the window. It wasn't a question, it was more a demand. Celes shrugged and walked over back to the table placing the plates down.

"Can I get you boys anything else?" she asked pulling off the tickets and laying them on the table.

"We're good," Billy said not looking up at her.

"Have a good day," she said and quickly walked away. Evie was still eyeing her at the counter when she approached.

"You want to steer clear of them," Evie said in a low voice. "They're bad news. _Really_ bad news." Celes looked back over at the table and quickly turned her head when she saw Billy staring right at her. Evie grabbed the ticket book out of her hand. "I'll see you later, okay? Thanks again."

"Yeah," Celes said taking her apron off and grabbing her purse. She dumped the cup she kept her tips in out on the counter. She counted them out one last time before stuffing them into her back pocket. She walked over to the booth grabbing Savannah's jacket. "You ready?" Savannah quickly jumped up letting Celes put the jacket on her. "Don't forget to say goodbye to Aunt Evie." Savannah ran up to Evie giving her a quick hug as Celes headed for the front door.

"Wait mom!" Savannah yelled looking around and darted back to the booth where the men were sitting. Savannah's sneakers skidded across the tile floor as she came to a complete stop in front of the table. She reached up and tugged on Billy's sleeve. Billy looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Billy," Savannah said her eyes wide. "Do you have my Molly Dolly?" Bodie let out a snicker as Joe eyed the little girl standing next to Billy.

"Who the hell is this?" he asked. Savannah didn't wait for Billy to answer before she dropped to the floor crawling under the table. She crawled to the back wall and grabbed her doll that had fallen under the booth. Celes reached the table by the time she crawled back out.

"Savannah!" Celes said using her warning tone.

"Mom! I lost Molly Dolly," Savannah said holding the ragged doll up with one arm. "I couldn't leave her here, she'd get scared." Celes reached down grabbing her daughter's hand. "Bye Billy!"

"What about me?" Bodie called out as they walked away. Celes looked straight ahead hoping her daughter would stop talking to the men as she dragged her to the front door. Savannah looked back in Bodie's direction and stuck out her tongue. Bodie let a smile crack on his face.

"Darley, I don't think your girlfriend likes me too much," Bodie said. Billy let out a half huff and half laugh. He looked out the window to see the two girls walking to a beat up red truck in the parking lot. He studied Celes as she carefully strapped her daughter into her booster seat. She walked around the back of the truck and her eyes gazed back over at the diner. She could see him staring at her and quickly looked away, almost as if she was blushing.

"Are you ready to get this shit done?" Bodie asked. Billy brought his attention back to the table and slid out of the booth grabbing his ticket. He walked up to the counter where Evie was standing. He threw down a few bills on top of the tickets. She didn't look up at him, just quickly grabbed it off the counter. The four men walked towards the door, then Billy turned around.

"Hey you," he called out. Evie looked up as he strolled back over to the counter. "Make sure the other girl get this," he pulled out a couple bills and handed them over to her. Evie nodded her head placing the bills in her back pocket. "What's her name again?"

"Why do you want to know her name?" Evie snapped.

"Just answer the fucking question," Billy said.

"It's Celes," Evie said then walked away from the counter. Billy stood there for a minute muttering the name under his breath. He turned around walking out of the diner, and headed towards the parking lot. Evie watched him as he went and hoped that he wouldn't remember her best friend's name.


	2. An Unsung Hero

1**Author's Notes: **Thank you all so much for the reviews! Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I usually write at night, which means I'm tired, and not everything makes sense sometimes. I hope you like this chapter, I'm still shooting with an idea. Don't forget to leave a review! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated at well!

**Chapter Two: An Unsung Hero**

Celes wiped down the counter, letting out a loud sigh. The diner would be closing in thirty minutes, and she couldn't have been happier. This was the third double shift she had pulled this week, and she had only been able to squeeze in about five hours of sleep a night. Savannah had been sick all week long with the flu. Luckily Evie, who had started night classes the week before, hadn't caught it, and neither had Celes.

"Almost over," Big Mike said cheerfully from the back. She smiled lightly and started picking up the salt shakers putting them in a line. "Is your daughter feeling better?"

"Yeah," Celes said unscrewing the caps. "Joni's mom is going to watch her tonight, so I can get some actual sleep."

"Is that the blonde girl that use to run around with Evie a lot?" he asked throwing a towel over his shoulder.

"Yeah, her mom runs a daycare, and has been an absolute lifesaver these past two weeks. She's watching Savannah half price until I get caught up on some bills."

"You know I really appreciate you pulling these extra shifts this week."

"I appreciate the money," Celes said then smiled back at him. "Especially after the doctor bill and pharmacy bill comes in." Celes finished filling the salt shakers, and started putting them back on the tables when the door chimes went off.

"Are you still open?" a man asked.

"Yeah," she replied her back still towards him. "What can I get you?" She turned around slowly, brushing her hair out of her face, and stopped quickly, recognizing the man behind the counter.

It had been over two weeks since Savannah had attempted to befriend the two men at the booth, but Celes didn't think she'd ever forget their faces. Especially after what Evie had told her about them that night she came home from her shift.

"What's that?" Celes asked looking down at the money Evie had thrown on the kitchen table.

"For you," she replied pulling a bottled water out of the refridgerator. "From Savannah's special _friend_." Celes snapped her head up quickly.

"The guy in the trench coat? But I only refilled his coffee," she looked down at the two five dollar bills in her hand. Evie raised her eyebrows a little and then told her what she knew about them. They were drug dealers, gang members, theives, and most of all, they were killers. .

Bodie leaned over the counter, and narrowed his eyes. "Hello?"

"What?" she asked then looked over to see the other guy leaning over the counter. He was a little shorter than Bodie, with a tattoo that read Carpe Diem across his neck. His hair was a lighter shade of brown, almost blonde, and he had a goatee and mustache.

"I want a burger," Bodie said. The other one started walking away from the counter and heading towards a booth. "Hey Baggy, do you want anything?" _'What kind of name is Baggy?' she thought. _

"Nah," he called back not turning around.

"Did you want anything to drink?" Celes asked. Bodie shook his head and head turned around heading for the booth. Celes came around the back handing Big Mike the ticket, he let out a low groan and headed over to the grill.

"Hey would it bother you if I skipped out a little early tonight?" he asked.

"Poker night?" Celes asked. He let out a laugh and nodded his head. "No problem. Do you want me to run by the bank?"

"Nah," he said. "Just put everything in the safe. I'll go in the morning." Celes nodded her head and grabbed a wet towel heading back out to the front to wipe down tables. She was a little bit closer to the two men and could hear bits and peices of their conversation.

"You wanna go by the bar before we head out there?" Baggy asked.

"Sure," Bodie replied. "But we can't stay long, Billy will have a fuckin' shit fit if we're late."

"He still pissed off at Heco?"

"Yeah. He better stop using the shit and actually sell it before Billy puts his ass in the ground."

"You think he's going to let Joe in?" Baggy asked then looked up to see Celes wiping off the table next to them. He nodded his head up at her and Bodie looked her way. "That the girl?" The ding of the bell went off, and Celes quickly walked away. _'That girl?'_ she thought_. 'What the hell did that mean?' _She grabbed the plate from the window and walked over, placing the plate in front of him.

"Anything else?" she asked. Bodie shook his head no, and Baggy didn't look up at her. She walked back around the counter counting out her tips. She let out a sigh, only fifty-five dollars and some change. She didn't know how she was going to be able to pay all the back debt, next month rent, and Savannah's medical bills. The doctor visit alone was eighty dollars, not to mention the three medications they put her on. There were times like these, where she wondered how she even got herself in this kind of mess. Then she had to remind herself that she was in a better place than she had been in the past two years. Leaving Luke was the best thing that she had ever done for herself and for Savannah. She was still surprised at herself, not just for leaving, but for the whole relationship itself. She'd always been more of the quiet one, dependent on others, but she never thought she would get herself into a situation that she did. Letting someone control her, scream at her, and letting him put his hands on her. The worst part was the last time it happened, Savannah saw it all, and she knew by the horrid look on her daughter's face, she had to leave. This time for good.

The chiming of the door went off, interrupting her thoughts as she saw the two men walking out. She walked over to the table, two crumpled up one dollar bills were next to the bare plate.

"Closing time!" Big Mike yelled coming around the counter and heading towards the door. "Well, about five minutes early, but you don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," Celes replied grabbing the plate and heading to the back. "When are you taking off?"

"Right now, if you don't care. Just finish up the rest of the dishes, and clean up the sitting area, and we'll call it good, all right?" He said putting on his jacket. "Do yourself a favor, get a good nights sleep. I don't need you to come in until three tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Celes replied. "See ya later Mike." He waved goodbye and walked out of the door, the chimes going off. Celes went around the back throwing the dishes through the dishwasher and came around the front taking the cash register out. She headed to the office, placing the drawer on the table, and started counting it out. Half way through the drawer she heard the chimes go off, and turned her head. She stepped out of the office and started walking through the kitchen.

"Forget your keys again Mike?" she called out and walked out to the front counter. She froze in her tracks when she saw a man standing in the middle of the diner. He was a little taller than her, dark black hair with cold black eyes to match it. He looked like he hadn't taken a shower in a week, and wore ragged clothes. "Oh sorry, we're closed." He didn't say anything, but just narrowed his eyes at her. Celes could feel her heart start to race. "I said we're closed." He started walking swiftly around the counter and Celes started backing up, her words stuttering. The man grabbed her by her shoulders and slammed her into the wall.

"Give me the money!" he yelled. He took one hand off of her, digging in his pocket, and Celes saw this as the only way to get away. She broke free of his grip and came running around the counter, heading straight for the door. The door was only a few feet away, but the man came up behind Celes, grabbing her by her pony tail. She flew back, knocking into him. He got a grip on her shoulders and shoving her hard into the front counter. She yelled out in pain as her knees bashed against the wall. She tried to catch her breath, as he came charging towards her again. She flew around trying to fight him off, but he grabbed her arms, throwing them down on the counter. She couldn't think, and knew she wasn't breathing. The only thing she could think of was Savannah. Suddenly the chimes of the door went off and she could hear the thud of quick footsteps.

"Get the _fuck_ back!" a deep voice shouted. The man quickly turned his head around, swearing under his breath, then froze. Celes finally gasped in a full breath of air and looked over. "I said, get the fuck away from her! _Now_!" The first thing she noticed was the trench coat and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Billy stood only a few feet away from the man, his arm extended straight out, holding a gun. His eyes were scolding at the man. The man let go of Celes, and slowly backed away. "Drop your knife." The man stood for a second, and Celes wondered if he was going to try and attack Billy. "I said fucking drop the knife or I'm going to blow your fucking head off!" Celes's eyes popped, as she watched the knife tumble to the floor. During the scuffle she hadn't even seen it, but now that it was laying on the floor, the reality sunk in. She was trying to fight back the tears that were burning in her eyes. The man threw his hands up, walking a halfway circle around Billy. Billy narrowed his eyes, keeping a steady hand as he followed the man's movements. He was breathing heavily, as the man backed up towards the door. The door flung open, and the man took off running as fast as he could down the street.

Celes could feel her whole body shaking as she slowly went down the counter wall and sat on the floor. Billy still had his back towards her as he reached around, putting the gun back behind his waist. He turned around and stared down at her, his eyes still narrowed. "What's your problem? Don't you know how to lock a damn door?" It wasn't a question, more of an insult. She stared up at him, her face white as a ghost.

"I...I...I..." she stuttered trying to find the words. He still stared down at her, almost with a disgusted look on his face. He finally reached down, extending his arm towards her. She stared at his hand for a moment, not for sure if she wanted to grab it. He let out a sigh, he was getting impatient, and she quickly grabbed it, letting him pull her off of the floor. He held onto her hand for a moment, and put his other hand on the side of her arm while she got her balance. The room still felt like it was spinning, and her hands started to shake.

"Sit down," he said sternly guiding her to the stool by the counter. "Take a deep breath." She did what he said, trying to calm herself, but she could feel the tears swelling her eyes. She was more mad at herself, for being so stupid and not locking the door. Mainly because she responded the same way she responded with Luke. Paralyzed by fear, something she swore she'd never do again.

"Hey, you've got to breath," he said, his hands were tightly on her shoulders. "Look at me." She did, and exhaled loudly as she stared into his eyes. They were no longer cutting right through her, she could see something different in them. Maybe he could tell by the way she was looking at him, because he blink, and they became cold again. He let go of her shoulders and stepped back.

"Where..." she stuttered and took a deep breath. "Where did you even come from?" She stared at him now with confusion.

"I was looking for a friend," he said pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He extended the pack towards her and shook one out. She grabbed it and placed it in her mouth. She quit smoking when she was pregnant with Savannah over five years ago. Once in a great while, she'd sneak one, and tonight was a well deserved sneak. Her hands were still shaky, as she leaned forward, letting Billy light it. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes trying to calm herself.

"Uh...guy with a mohawk? And the guy that was in here with you a few weeks ago?" she asked now opening her eyes. He tilted his head to the side, staring at her, almost curious why she would remember any of them.

"Yeah," he said shaking out a cigarette for himself.

"They left about," she looked up at the clock. "..fifteen minutes ago...he ordered a burger." Billy raised an eyebrow as Celes wanted to slap herself on the forehead. _'Why did I just say that?', she asked herself. _She could only blame in on her nerves. What if the man didn't just want to stop at stealing the money? What if he hadn't stopped at just taking the money? What if he harmed her? Or worse, what if she would have never seen Savannah again? When she looked back up, Billy was about to walk out the door.

"Hey!" she called out. He had his hand on the door and turned around, staring blankly at her. "Do you want some coffee...or something?" He stood there for a moment, and for a split second, she thought he was going to say yes.

"Nah," he said finally then lite up his cigarette, and pushed his back against the door, making the chimes go off. "Just make sure you lock this fucking door, all right?" She nodded her head, as he walked out, the chimes echoing through the room. She watched him walk off, smoke blowing out of his mouth, as he made his way down the street. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the door, turning the lock as quickly as she could. She ran back to the back, picking up the phone and dialing Mike's cell phone. She told him everything that had happened, and he kept apologizing over and over again for leaving her there alone.

"I should have locked the door, oh shit, Celes..are you sure you're all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'll be fine."

"Let me call an officer down there, and I'll be down there in a minute."

"No, no," she said quickly. She didn't want a police officer there, she didn't want to have to describe Billy. She knew enough about him to know that he wouldn't want to be asked questions on a potential robbery. Let alone be known as a good citizen. "I'm fine, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'd rather just go home."

"All right then," Mike said letting out a sigh. "As long as you are okay to leave by yourself. Just put the money in the safe and don't worry about anything else. Okay? Go straight home."

"Okay Mike," Celes said about to hang up the phone.

"And hey Celes," he said quickly.

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry about coming in tomorrow, okay?"

"Oh no Mike-"

"No," he said in his 'stern boss voice', "you'll still get paid. Just get some rest, and spend the day with that little girl of yours, okay?"

"Okay," she said and hung up the phone. She went back into the office, putting the money into the bank bag, and throwing it in the safe. Her hands were still shaky as she shut the safe door. She went up to the front, grabbing her purse, and turned off the lights. Then something hit her, where did the knife go? She went around the front of the sitting area and looked around. The knife was no where to be found. The only explanation was that Billy had taken it while she was too busy trying to calm herself down. She didn't want to stand around thinking about it all night, and quickly walked out of the door, locking it behind her.

Her footsteps were swift across the parking lot heading for her truck. The only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat as the realization that she was all by herself again set in. What if the man was standing in the alley? What if he was waiting for her? Did he see Billy leave? She fumbled with her keys, almost about to choke out a cry. She just wanted to get the hell out of there. She finally got her truck door open and slapped the lock button down. Starting up the truck, she quickly put it in reverse, and looked up at the street. Headlights came on from the other side of the road. A low rumble noise echoed through the night, as a black car with bright red creeping tribal symbols across came into her view. Under the street light, Celes saw a glimpse of him, flicking a cigarette out of his window. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing he had waited until she was safe in her truck.


	3. Rushes

1**Author's Note: **Thank so much for the reviews guys! Okay this chapter is a slow one, I'm sorry if it's kind of blah. I re-wrote the thing twice, and it ended up like this, and I'm about to fall asleep. Hopefully you'll like it. Love it? Hate it? Leave me a review!

**Chapter Three: Rushes**

Celes threw the bucket of dishes across the table in the back. It made a loud thud noise, and Big Mike snapped his head up.

"Calm down!" he yelled.

"Well get me some help out here!" she shouted back. The diner had been packed since breakfast, and Celes had been the only girl to show up for the day. Evie had went upstate to visit her aunt, and the other waitress Victoria hadn't shown. Big Mike tried to call someone else in, but no one would pick up their phones. Leaving Celes to run the front on her own.

Two weeks had passed since the night of the attempted robbery. At first, Celes found it hard to sleep at night, and even harder to be at work. Luckily for her, Big Mike had put her on the morning or mid shifts since that night. Plus it was a lot easier for her to have a babysitter for Savannah with those hours. Since that night, Billy hadn't came back to the diner. At first when the door chimes went off, she'd snap her head up to see who it was. But every time it was someone other than him walking in.

Celes rounded the corner grabbing a few menus from the pile and tossed them on a table a few feet away.

"I'll be there in a second," she said quickly about to take off to the other side of the diner. She hadn't been in the best of moods for the day. She couldn't even count how many times she had been yelled at today, and her head was starting to hurt. One guy actually threw his menu back at her and stormed out. Luckily Big Mike was too pissy and too busy to notice the man.

"Wow," a girl snapped. "What _great _service!" Celes turned her head around quickly to apologize to her, when she realized who was sitting there. Joni smiled big at her holding onto the menu, then shifted her eyes to the left, making Celes see who was next to her. "You plan on wanting a tip?" Joni use to work at the Big Mike's Diner with Evie a few months before Celes had moved to the city. Joni was free spirt, and was very independent. She was a gorgeous girl, with blonde hair and bright green eyes. One thing she wasn't shy about was showing off her figure, which was why she took a job as a dancer at Pink Kitty's. Something Evie gave her crap about all the time. Joni was still laughing at little, but Celes didn't laugh back as she stared at the guy sitting next to Joni. It was Joe, Billy's brother.

---

The night that Billy had saved her life, Celes went home to an empty house. She assumed Evie was probably out with friends, as she tried to get some sleep. Around three a.m., a sudden crash in the kitchen sent Celes out with a baseball bat. Only to find Evie and Joni on the kitchen floor, completely drunk. After Celes caught her breath, she told the girls what had happened to her just a few hours before.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Balded headed gang banger Billy Darley _saved _you?!" Evie practically shouted. "Was his trench coat flapping in the wind too?" She bursted out laughing, leaning on Joni who was trying to hold it together. Celes out let out a sigh and covered her face.

"No seriously though," Evie said wiping away the tears in her eyes. "He just came out of no where? Just flew right in-"

"Trench coat and all!" Joni chimed in.

"And saved you? What the hell was he doing there any ways?" Evie asked.

"He said he was looking for some of his friends that came in earlier," she mumbled crossing her arms against her chest. "I don't know what would have happened if he didn't show up." Evie tilted her head to the side now, giving Celes a sympathetic smile. She knew the hell Luke had put her through, and hoped coming to the city would have changed the fact that Celes never felt safe.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Evie asked. "What did Mike say?"

"I'm still just kind of shook up, but I'll be fine. He said to just take tomorrow off, and get a good night's sleep," Celes said. "Which was happening until you two lushes bust in here, making me think some psycho was after me again!" She couldn't help but laugh at the last line, knowing that she had mainly scared herself. Joni let out a loud laugh that ended in a snort, making Evie topple over on the floor.

"Now wait," Joni said waving her arms in the air. "Who's this Billy guy? Do I know him?"

"You know who he is," Evie stated still laying on the floor. "They mainly run things around 17th street. His dad is that asshole that owns the chop shop-"

"Ohhh yeah, some of them came down to the club the other night. The short one, brown hair, um...Joe...I think. He wanted me to go to some bar with him after work."

"Oh hell!" Evie shouted sitting straight up. "You told him no, right?"

"Uh..."

"Joni! Are you crazy?! That's Billy's little brother! That's the last thing you need," Evie shouted then snapped her head at Celes pointing her finger at her. "Or you!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Celes asked narrowing her eyes.

"Because I know you two and I know those looks on your faces. And I'm drunk and I feel like yelling!" Evie yelled with a huff. This only caused Joni and Celes both to laugh, which irritated Evie even more. "And just do me and my anxiety the grand gesture of staying the hell away from those Darley boys!" With that, she was on her feet and marching to the bathroom. Joni let out another laugh and pulled herself off the floor, steadying herself on the kitchen chair.

"Ignore her," Joni said shaking her head. "I'm going out with Joe this weekend," she pressed her finger over his lips making a _ssshhh_ noise. "Who knows, maybe your prince on the white horse shows up and takes you with us." She stumbled into the living room, collapsing on the couch with a thud. Celes shook her head and headed back to her bedroom. If anything, she knew Billy Darley _wasn't_ the prince to be riding on a white horse. A part of her did want to see him again though, to thank him. The other part, the part in her gut, hoped she never saw him again.

---

But then there was Joe, sitting next to her friend, even after Evie had drilled her the next morning. Celes hadn't really seen Joni since that night she crashed on her couch, unless you count the times they passed one another when she picked up Savannah. She had still been working like crazy, and with Evie gone, she picked up her hours.

"Sorry," Celes said clearing her throat. "What do you want to drink?"

"Are you the only waitress here today?" Joni asked.

"Could you just order?" Joe grumbled. Joni rolled her eyes at him and took her attention back to Celes.

"Yeah, a no show today, and now no one wants to answer their phones," Celes said. Joe turned his head the other way, lighting up a cigarette. Celes took the opportunity to raise her eyebrows up at Joni. She shrugged her shoulders, biting back her lip. Joe looked at the two of him, his eyes narrowing, knowing that the odd looks were intended for him. "So," she said quickly. "What would you guys like?"

"I'll just go back there and make it," Joni said as she started scooting out of the booth. Joe quickly grabbed her shirt and she looked back. "What?" He pulled her back in the booth, giving her a long kiss that made Celes's face turn a little red.

"All right then," Celes said. "Kitchen is still where it's always been." She went back to the window, grabbing the plats from there and told Big Mike that Joni was going to be back there in a minute. While she was across the room, she saw Joni slipping into the back, and looked over at Joe. He sat with one arm stretched out, looking bored as he tapped his fingers on the table. Celes didn't even hear the chimes on the door go off, but she saw Joe's face drop.

"Miss!" someone yelled before she could get a chance to take a look at the door. She quickly grabbed the customer's glass and turned around to see two men walking to the table. She rounded the counter and glanced over recognizing them as Bodie and Baggy.

"Hey shithead," Bodie said sliding into the booth. "Did you plan on telling anyone you were taking your shift off again? Or did you just think we could read your fucking mind?"

"What?" Joe snapped.

"It's bullshit Joey, bullshit," Baggy mumbled picking up one of the menus.

"Don't even start with me," Joe mumbled. "Like you assholes never skipped out before."

"You tell that to your brother," Bodie said lighting up a cigarette.

"How pissed is he?"

"Well," Baggy said throwing the menu back on the table. "See for yourself." Celes stopped in her tracks as she looked up at the door. The door chimes went off, and there he was. She had forgotten how tall he was as he walked in. He was wearing a black t-shirt showing off his strong arms. His silver cross bouncing off his chest as he took quick steps to the booth with his eyes narrowed.

"Billy.." Joe stuttered as his brother stopped in front of the booth. He didn't say anything to him, only stared.

"Miss!" someone shouted. Celes quickly walked over to the table, delivering their drinks to them. They said something else to her, but she just nodded. Her focus was what was going on across the room. She could see Joe slowly scooting out of the booth as Billy took a few steps back. Joe stood up, trying to straighten his back, trying to seem more tougher. Billy quickly cupped his hand around the back of his neck. Joe tensed up, and tried to hide the pain from his face.

"Walk," Billy snapped as he shoved Joe a few steps ahead of him.

"Miss!" the same table shouted as Celes walked around the counter. She didn't take her gaze off of him, as he headed towards the door. He made a split second glance at her, and Celes thought he might not have seen her. But he took another look, locking his gaze with hers. The way his eyes looked at her, like she had surprised him. "_Miss!_" She broke her gaze taking her attention back to the table with the customers who were furious with her by now. After she had apologized twice to them, she looked back out, not seeing Billy or Joe anywhere. Joni was out of the kitchen now, approaching the booth with a questioning look on her face.

"Where's Joe?" she asked.

"Billy's talking to him," Bodie said. "Where the hell is the waitress around here?" Joni shoved him in the arm. "_What_?"

"Why is Billy talking to him?"

"Cause he fucked up," Baggy snapped. "Now do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut. They're back." Billy and Joe walked back into the diner, Joe's head down like he was sulking. Billy stood tall still, looking straight ahead, a pissed off look still on his face.

"Take her ass home," Billy said looking over at Joni. "Then you better get your ass down there." Joe nodded his head as Joni quickly stood up. Celes stared at her, an eyebrow raised, but she just shook her head, following Joe out the door.

"Hey!" Big Mike shouted from the window. "Where did Joni go?"

"I guess...she left," Celes muttered.

"Can I get some damn service!" Baggy yelled. Billy looked up sharply at him, glaring him down. "What?" Big Mike rolled his eyes as Celes approached the table. "It's about fucking time." Billy quickly jerked the menu out of his hands.

"Why don't the both of you's get some fucking work done," he growled. Bodie stared at Billy, almost like he was challenging his remark. "Then I'll hand deliver your ass to Bones when he wants to know why the fuck he's short." Bodie nudged Baggy who let out a huff, as they quickly got out of the booth. "That's what I thought." Billy pulled out a pack of cigerettes and a book of matches. Celes was staring at him as he struck the match. He gazed up at her, putting the small flame up to his cigarette, and inhaled. He didn't say anything as he shook the match out, his eyes still on her. After he took another drag, he tilted his head to the side.

"Yes?" he asked a little annoyed. Celes blinked almost forgetting why she was even standing at the table.

"Didyouwantanything?" she asked jumbling her words together. He stared at her, an eyebrow raised as she cleared her throat. "Did you want to order anything?" He didn't respond, a smirk curving on the side of his mouth. "Okay...well then..." He took a quick drag, flicking the cigarette in the ash tray. "When you want something...just yell at me." She turned away to walk off, when he grabbed her arm, like he had done the first time she had met him. Something about his grip, it was firm, but not in a way like he wanted to hurt her.

"I want something," he said looking her up and down. Celes could feel her face turn completely red as she stared at him. The smirk was growing fast across his face as he took another quick drag. "A cup of coffee." She nodded her head and quickly walked away. When she grabbed the coffee pot she noticed that her hands were shaky. _"Why am I so nervous?" she asked herself._ She glanced over at him as she poured the cup. He was watching her intensely, and she let out a little yelp when something hot hit her hand. She looked down quickly realizing that she had over filled the cup. She grabbed a towel, throwing it on the counter and grabbed another cup. After she had filled it and managed not to burn herself, she walked back to his table.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said cooly handing her the empty sugar container. "You mind?" She grabbed it from his hand, but he didn't let go of it as his eyes darted off towards the door. Celes turned her head to see two officers walking towards them.

"Well look who we have here," the shorter one said. "You're not giving this girl any trouble are you, Darley?" Billy looked back up at Celes, realizing that his hand was still on the canister. He dropped his hand off of it.

"Can I help you with something?" Billy asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah," the taller one said leaning over on the table. "You mind telling us where you were forty minutes ago."

"Why would I want to do that?" Billy asked staring sternly back at the officer. He showed no fear, as the shorter one edged back a bit. Celes watched in amazement on how easily the officer had been intimidated. The taller one wasn't showing any kind of fear as his eyes narrowed at Billy.

"Because a gas store was robbed about ten blocks from here, and the description matches you to a tee. So I'm going to ask you again, where were you?"

"He was here," Celes blurted before Billy could answer. Both of the officers snapped their heads at her.

"He's been here?" the shorter one asked. "For the past forty minutes?"

"Uhh.." Celes stuttered glancing back down at Billy. He stared back with a surprised look on his face. "Yeah...he's been sitting right here."

"And you're sure?" the taller one asked.

"Yeah," Celes said. "I've been swamped and he's about the only person who hasn't bit my head off." The taller one leaned to the other one, talking low enough Celes couldn't hear them. Billy was looking at her sternly now, inhaling quickly on his cigarette.

"Can I get your name ma'am?" the shorter one asked flipping out a small notebook. Celes told him her name while the taller one leaned back over on the table.

"You're lucky this time Darley," he hissed. Billy smirked at him, then cooly blew cigarette smoke in the officer's face. "You're not that smart. I'm going to nail your ass one of these days."

"Good luck," Billy snorted stabbing his cigarette out in the ash tray. The shorter one thanked Celes, as she quickly walked off before anyone could say anything else to her. She went around the back, grabbing another sugar canister, taking in a deep breath. _"Celes, you have lost your damn mind! What are you doing? Why did you just lie?"_, Celes asked herself.

"Get a move on it!" Big Mike yelled not knowing what had just went on. She rounded the corner, sliding the canister on Billy's table, not looking at him. She went around collecting her tips and clearing off tables. She knew he was staring at her again, but she refused to look his way. She had avoided his table for a good fifteen minutes before he cleared his throat. She grabbed the coffee pot off of the burner and walked over to him. She started to fill up his mug when he grabbed her wrist tightly. It startled her, as coffee split out on to the table.

"Why did you just do that?" he demanded squeezing her wrist. She couldn't believe it as she looked at him. He was pissed. She had just saved his ass, and he was_ pissed_? She jerked her wrist back and stepped away from his table.

"Because I never thanked you," she snapped pulling the rag that was hanging out of her apron pocket. She wiped off the table and shook her head.

"That was fucking stupid of you," he growled. She looked up sharply, not believing what she had just heard. Billy wasn't looking at her anymore, another cigarette already in his mouth as he stared out the window. Celes stormed away from his table, chucking the rag into the back. Now she was pissed, and she wasn't exactly sure why. Why should she care about what Billy Darley thought of her? She had left the coffee pot sitting on his table, but she refused to walk back over there. She grabbed one from under the counter, starting a fresh pot of coffee, as she made her rounds. She made sure to ignore his table, not even glancing his way.

Forty-five minutes had passed by, and luckily the rush had faded away. There were only five more tables left, not including Billy's. She had stolen a glance at him, the coffee pot almost empty now. She grabbed a plastic bucket, throwing in plates when the chimes went off and she saw Victoria and Hannah walking in the door. Victoria caught the look on Celes's face and came rushing to her.

"I am so sorry! My dad had a heart attack," she gushed as Celes's pissed off look quickly faded.

"Is he okay?" she asked feeling a pledge of guilt.

"Yeah," she said. "He's going to be fine, but I didn't have my phone on me, and just with all the-"

"No, it's okay. I'm just glad he's all right."

"I promise I'll make this up to you," she said. Celes smiled at her and handed over her ticket book, relieved that she was able to finally go home. Victoria apologized one more time before heading off to the back to get an apron. Celes went around the counter, dumping out her cup that she kept her tips in and threw it in her purse. She didn't even care to count them, this like many of the other days had been one disaster. She put her hands on her shoulders, rubbing out the knots that had formed on her.

"Okay girl," Hannah, the closing waitress said as she came up to the counter. "Get the hell out of here before more people come in."

"I won't argue with that," she mumbled. She grabbed her purse, said a quick goodbye to Big Mike, and headed out the door. She didn't look back at Billy, because she knew that Evie was right about him all along.

Celes dug through her purse, pulling out a cigarette. She didn't want to pick the habit back up, but between the bills and her anxiety, she couldn't help it. She unlocked the truck door, slid in the truck, and put the key in the ignition. She turned the key, listening to her truck start to putter, then nothing. She looked down at her dash, and tried it again. It made the putter noise again, then nothing. Letting out a frustrated groan, she tried it again. Nothing.

"Are you kidding me!" she shouted then slammed her hands on the steering wheel. She hit the steering wheel so hard that her cigarette flew out her hand, burning her finger tip, then fell to the floorboard. "Shit!" She jumped out of the trunk, grabbed it and chucked it on the ground.

Billy had walked out of the diner, placing a cigarette in his mouth as he spotted her. Her hands were laid on top of her hood as her left foot was slamming hard into the tire.

"Stupid piece of shit truck!" she shouted kicking the tire again. He let out a smirk and walked over towards her. He stood there for a moment, as she kept kicking the tire and cursing under her breath. She stopped quickly realizing that he was standing there. She let out a huff trying to catch her breath. "It's dead."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said back. She crossed her arms against her chest, feeling uncomfortable now. He nodded his head at her, then turned around heading to his vehicle. She leaned her body against the door, not knowing what to do. _"Is he going to help me?" Celes asked herself. _She shook her head almost letting out a laugh. He was just mocking her. She watched him as he climbed into his car and started it up. He drove the car in front of her truck hitting the breaks, his hand dangling from the window. He was looking straight ahead and she stared at him puzzled. After a few seconds, he let out a sigh.

"Are you going to get in or what?" he asked harshly as he grabbed his sunglasses. He put them on and looked over at her. "Get. In." Celes opened up her truck door, grabbing her purse, and slammed it shut. She quickly walked around the back of the car taking in a deep breath, trying to convince herself she hadn't just lost her mind.


	4. Little Girl, Big Secret

1**Chapter 4: Little Girl, Big Secret**

Celes felt her heart beating fast as she tried to sit calmly in the passenger seat of his car. She had only been in the vehicle for two minutes and thirty-two seconds. She knew this because she was counting, something that always seemed to help her calm down. He hadn't said anything at first, didn't even ask where she was going. He just flicked his cigarette out the window and reached over turning on the radio. An old rock song came through the speakers, but not too loud. She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, trying not to be discreet about it. The first thing that she did notice about him was his smell. It wasn't something she really caught on to at the diner, but now, here in his car, she could smell him. She couldn't quite place it, a combination of smoke and something sweet. The cologne was probably the only sweet thing on him. Now, as she was still watching him, she wondered what even possessed her to step into his car.

"You nervous?" he asked her in a gruff voice before clearing his throat. She was almost stunned that he talked and glanced over at him. He wasn't looking at her, he was watching the road.

"No," she mumbled. He turned his head, a little smirk creeping up on one side.

"You're not nervous?" he asked her again glancing at the road then back at her.

"No," she said this time with more confidence. He shook his head, looking back at the road for a moment, then turned back to her.

"You're lyin'," he said in a matter fact voice. "When your nervous, the corner of your eye twitches." She stared at him, narrowing her eyes. Her eyes didn't twitch. He reached over, gently touching the corner of her eye. "Right there, that tiny little spot, it twitches when you're nervous." She felt frozen by his touch. This wasn't exactly what she expected. She almost felt annoyed that he was pointing out something that she never noticed before. Of course she was nervous, one look at Billy Darley and anyone in their right mind would have been. When she didn't reply to him, he dropped his hand from her face, looking back at the road.

"Where are we at?" she finally asked looking around. She didn't recognize any of the buildings now, she had been too busy trying to let herself breath.

"I've got some buisness to take care," he replied. He pulled off onto a road as Celes searched around. Where the hell were they? Her heart was pounding again, and she could swear he could hear it by the way he looked at her when they approached a huge building. Billy put the car in park, and turned off the engine. He reached behind her seat, eyes locked on her as he grabbed a faded green cloth bag. "Stay in the car, okay?"

"Okay," she replied. She wished she never would have gotten in the car. She knew what was going on, she might have been oblivious to most things around her, but not this time. While he was strolling his way towards the abandoned building, she glanced in the rear view mirror. She stared at her eye, and then,_ twitch_. She had never noticed this before, hell, she never even felt it. He had noticed. He knew right away what it meant. _"Why am I over-analyzing a twitch?" she thought. "It's a twitch." _Celes looked off to the left, spotting a white van parked on the side of the building. Then she looked back up to see Billy stopping at the foot of the steps while a man came trotting down the stairs. She squinted her eyes, recognizing the tattoo on the side of his face. _"Wasn't his name Johnny? No, that's not right...Tommy? Yeah, that was it," she thought_. Billy wasn't looking at him, he was looking up at the other guy walking out of building. He was tall, bald like Billy, but darker skinned. When he spotted Billy his eyes bulged, this seemed to be a common reaction for people to have towards him. Her window was cracked just enough to stick her hand through, and down enough so that she could hear everything.

"Mind telling me what the fuck's been going on?" Billy demanded. "You been using the shit again Heco?" The bald one sniffled a little, not looking at Billy. "I asked you a question."

"I'm not-" Heco started to say as Billy took the steps two at a time, getting right in his face. "Billy man-" He grabbed onto his shirt, his hands tightening around the collar as he slammed him against the building. Tommy took a few steps back, cursing under his breath, and looked up noticing Celes in the car for the first time. Her eyes darted, as his narrowed trying to figure out who she was. She looked back up seeing Billy so close to Heco that his nose was touching his. He was saying something that she couldn't hear, but she could tell it wasn't anything good. Billy loosened his grip, giving one last stare down, then let got of him. Heco took a few steps to the side, brushing off his shirt.

"You understand?" Billy demanded.

"Yeah man," Heco said straightening himself. "I got it."

"Make sure you do. The next one of you's that decides that running this shit and selling this shit isn't your top priority-" Billy cut himself off pulling out another cigarette. He started shaking his head. "It'll be the last thing any of you's do." He turned around glaring down at Tommy. "You got that too Tommy?"

"Yeah Billy," Tommy said. Billy nodded his head, glaring at Heco once more before entering the building. Heco looked down at the car, noticing Celes, and nodded his head Tommy who shrugged in a reply. Heco headed back into the building, but Tommy stayed, sitting down on one of the steps. He sat there, just staring at Celes. _Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. _Now that Billy had pointed it out to her, she couldn't help but notice it. Celes turned her head, staring out the driver's side window until she heard a voice again. Billy was out of the building again, the same bag slung on his shoulder, as he took quick steps down the stairs.

"Who's the chick?" Tommy asked when he hit the ground, taking long strides to the car.

"Don't worry about it," he said to Tommy. "Make sure he keeps his shit together!" Tommy nodded his head throwing his cigarette to the ground and heading back up the stairs. Billy opened the car door and slung the bag in the back, missing Celes's face by an inch. She jerked her head back as it whooshed by her, landing with a thud in the backseat.

"Where do you live?" he asked staring up the car and putting it in reverse. He reached his arm over, resting it on her seat beside her shoulder as he backed out.

"Um...I need to get my daughter," Celes said as he turned the wheel putting it into drive. He hit the gas and Celes let out a gasp as they flew down the road. She could have sworn she heard him snicker as she grasped the door handle. "Can you...slow down?"

"Scared?" he asked his eyes still on the road.

"Just a little," she said quickly as he let up on the gas, slowing the car down.

"Do I scare you?" He still wasn't looking at her, but she stared at him for a minute. Maybe there was something in his face that could tell her something. Tell her why he had saved her, why he was giving her a ride, and why he was testing her.

"No," she replied. He looked at her, studying her eyes, waiting for the twitch. But she didn't twitch, just stared blankly at him. He nodded his head turning his attention back onto the main road, heading back in the direction of the diner. Celes looked down at the clock realizing she was already twenty minutes late picking up Savannah. "Crap."

"What?" he asked.

"I'm late picking up Savannah."

"Joni's mother still watching her?"

"Yeah," Celes said uneasy. "How did you know?"

"Joe talks a lot," he said then made a sharp left as Celes grabbed the side of the door again. He made another quick right and Celes grinded her teeth.

"Are you trying to scare me now?" she asked finally.

"Maybe," he said shrugging his shoulders then reached down turning up the volume on the radio. He didn't say anything after that, but his driving didn't improve. The car finally came to a halt as he stopped in front of Joni's mother's house. Savannah and another boy were outside playing with a basketball. She looked up staring at the car, and tossed the basketball on the grass.

"Well," Celes said her hand already on the latch. "Thanks..." Billy slowly nodded his head and looked at her once more.

"Don't mention it," he replied. She was wanting to say more to him, but she wasn't quite sure what she would say.

"Mom?" She heard Savannah yell out. She pulled on the latch, breaking the gaze, but the door wouldn't open. She tugged on it again, glancing down at the lock. Maybe she hit locked it when she was holding onto dear life.

"Mommy!" Savannah shouted recognizing her mother in the car. Celes pulled up on the lock realizing that it had never been locked. Then she felt his arm brush across her, as she leaned back. He jerked it once, getting no response, then jerked it again, the door popping open. He slowly reached back his arm, brushing against her one last time. She could hear the quick thuds of Savannah's sneakers running towards the car as she mumbled a thank you under breath, stepping out of the vehicle. "Mom! I thought you forgot me!" Celes let out a laugh as she shut the door walking in front of the car towards the sidewalk. Savannah wasn't paying attention to her mom now, she was staring at Billy. "Why is my mommy with you?" Billy glanced over at her about to say something when he noticed his brother on the front porch. Joe had his arms wrapped tightly around Joni's waist as he nuzzled against her neck.

"Savannah," Celes said in her warning tone. She knew that the last thing Billy wanted to do was talk to her daughter.

"Dammit Joe," Billy mumbled opening his car door.

"Umm!" Savannah yelled pointing her finger. "Billy you're not suppose to say bad words. God cries every time." Billy was half way out the door when he stopped abruptly staring down at the little girl. Her hair was pulled on top of her head, the brown curls bouncing as she shuffled her feet on the sidewalk. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink shirt with a huge brown stain in the middle.

"What?" he asked.

"Mommy says every time you say a bad word, God cries. You don't want God to cry, do you?" Her eyes were so innocent as Billy finished stepping out of the car. Savannah's jaw dropped as she stared up, squinting her eyes from the sun, at him. "Wow! You're a giant!"

"Celes?" Joni shouted out as Celes looked up at her. "Where's your truck?"

"It broke down," Celes yelled back. "Can you give us a ride back to the house?"

"Yeah, just let get my keys." Joni broke away from Joe who was now staring at Billy. Billy shook his head, his hands up in the air as Joe started walking towards the car.

"Did you suddenly get hit in head and forget what we just talked about?" Billy demanded watching brother sulk as he walked back Celes.

"Why is she with you?" he asked.

"My truck broke down," Celes said picking Savannah up.

"Is Joe in trouble?" Savannah asked looking up at Billy. Billy didn't say anything just jerked his head motioning Joe to get in the car. Savannah turned to her mom and pointed at the stain on her shirt. "I like Joe, he bought me ice cream, but it fell on my shirt. It was chocolate." Celes nodded her head as Billy opened the car door getting back in. Joe slammed his door hard, and bit back his lip waiting to hear it from his brother. Billy started up the car and Savannah looked down.

"Bye Billy," Savannah said waving. "Thank you for bringing my mommy to me." Billy nodded his head and glanced up at Celes one last time.

"No problem kid," he mumbled then hit the gas speeding out of the neighborhood. Joni came back outside looking down the street after the car.

"Joe go with him?" she asked.

"Yeah," Celes said. "So you and Joe, huh?" Joni just shrugged giving a little laugh as they headed to her car. She had a hold of Savannah's little pink backpack and handed it to her when she was buckled in.

"So," Joni said as she headed toward Celes's house. "You and Billy huh?" Celes let out a mocked laugh and looked at her.

"No way," she spat. "He just gave me a ride."

"I bet he did," Joni said slyly as Celes gently hit her in the arm. "Seriously though, you and big brother Darley...I mean...not even...?"

"No," Celes said shaking her head then looked in her mirror to make sure Savannah wasn't paying attention. She had pulled out Molly Dolly and was throwing her around, humming a song. "He's a drug dealer, Joni." Joni rolled her eyes pulling into the turning lane.

"Evie exaggerates a little too much," she said. "Joe isn't even half the guy she described him as."

"So you don't think they are?"

"Oh, I'm sure they are. I'm just saying, don't judge a book is all."

"I'm sorry, are we talking about the same Billy here?" Celes asked confused.

"I just see the way he treats Joe, and it's different. It's like he might actually have a heart underneath that trench coat. I also see the way he looks at you." Celes could feel her face grow red as Joni let out a laugh, she was obviously blushing. "You have to admit it. He's always staring at you."

"That's more creepy than anything." Joni shrugged her shoulders as they pulled up in Celes's driveway. "I'm telling you Celes, he's got a wall, but I bet you could break through it. And if you couldn't, that little girl in the back could."

"Joni," Celes said opening the car door. "Joe might not be the guy Evie described, but I doubt deep down inside Billy has a heart of gold. To be honest, I don't want to be the one breaking down any wall he's holding up."

"Say what you want, but your eyes tell me different," Joni sang at her as Celes rolled them. She pulled Savannah out of the backseat, thanking Joni for taking them home and headed to the front door. "Hey!" Joni shouted as she backed out of the driveway. "This weekend I'm going to the bar, you should think about coming along."

"You're forgetting one thing. I have a daughter that isn't old enough to be home alone!" Celes shouted back unlocking the door.

"Doesn't mean you can't have fun once in a great while! Evie will be back by then, it'll be a girls night out! My mom will watch her, she loves Savannah!"

"I'll think about it!"

"You better!" Joni hit the gas and went down the street as Celes stuck one foot in the door. She was still holding up Savannah, her head peeking out from over her shoulder. Savannah was about to ask her mom what Joni was talking about, when she spotted a dark blue car coming down the street. She tighten her grip around her mom's neck as the car drove by, slowing down only a few seconds in front of the house, then took off again.

"Savannah?" Celes asked feeling the tightness around her neck. "Are you okay honey?" She was in the house now, and kicked the front door shut. "Savannah?" Savannah loosen her grip, her feet dangling as Celes lowered her to the floor. "Hey, what's the matter?" Celes brushed a few strands of hair away from Savannah's face. Her eyes were wide and her skin was pale. "Are you feeling okay?" Savannah bit back her lip, wanting to tell her mom about the car, but stopped.

"Yeah," she said letting out a breath. "I need to go to the bathroom." Celes stared at her daughter for a second then nodded her head. "Can we have spaghetti tonight?"

"Sure," Celes said standing back up. "And cheesy bread?"

"Cheesy bread!" Savannah yelled as she took off running to the bathroom. Celes let out a laugh and picked up the phone calling the diner to tell Big Mike about her truck. He told her not to worry about her truck, he'd pick her up in the morning and they'd both go get her a new battery. She thanked him, and put the phone back on the charger. She was kneeling on the floor, digging through the cabinets trying to find a pot big enough when the phone rang. She grabbed it off the charger and clicked the talk button.

"Hello," she said getting back on the floor. There was silence on the other end as Celes grabbed the pot she was looking for. "Hello?" She could hear a raspy breathing now and slowly stood back up. "Hello?" The phone went dead and Celes stared down at it. "That was weird," she mumbled then put it back on the charger. She shook it off as a prank or maybe Evie wasn't getting good cell phone reception where she was at. Whoever it was, didn't call back, as Celes finished making dinner for her and Savannah. She couldn't help but think about Billy and what Joni said. The way he stared at her? She stared at him too, mainly because she couldn't help herself. In another time, she might have even possibly thought of going after him. Back when she had more guts to acutally apporach a guy. But not now. Not when she had Savannah to think about. She had made the mistake of going for a bad guy before, and she knew that was a place she could never go again.

—

"Anything exciting happen while I've been gone?" Evie asked throwing her luggage onto the couch. She let out a sigh, plopping down on the couch. "You don't know how much I've missed this place. My aunt has like twenty cats, and ugh..." Celes let out a grumble from the other couch. The day after Billy had given her a ride, she had caught some sort of cold. It was the third day of it, and Celes felt like she was dying. Her head pounded and she wasn't able to breath out of her nose.

"You know," Celes grumbled. "I never appreciated being able to breath through my nose." She sat up quickly letting out a huge sneeze and Evie made a face while passing her a tissue.

"There's no way you can go in today," she said.

"I have too," Celes grumbled letting out another sneeze. She was still in her pajamas, Big Mike had scheduled her to only work from noon to five, to cover the lunch rush. "I need the money, and there's no one to cover my shift." Evie cleared her throat eyeing her friend. "What?"

"Um..." she said throwing her hand up. "Did you forget that I work there? I can go in for you."

"No, you just got home."

"_So_? I've been gone a week, I need the money. Plus I've been dying to eat one of Big Mike's huge burgers. I've been eating TV dinners and greasy Chinese take out the past week. Seriously my aunt hasn't cooked in almost twenty years."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean look at you. You look like hell," Evie said getting up heading towards the bathroom.

"I've missed you so much!" Celes shouted as she heard Evie let out a laugh. She tossed a box of flu medicine on her as she headed to the kitchen. "Where did you find this? I've been looking for this forever."

"In the second drawer, I bought it when Savannah got sick. Just in case one of us caught anything." Evie came back in handing Celes a glass of water. "How about I take her with me."

"Who?"

"Savannah. I'll take her to work with me, Big Mike won't care." Celes started shaking her head but Evie ignored her. "You're not going to get any rest with her running around. Plus, I kind of missed her." Before Celes could protest or even thank her, Evie shouted for Savannah. She came running in, her hair pulled up in pig tails still in her pajamas.

"Aunt Evie!" she shouted running full speed at her. She slammed into Evie's legs as Evie gripped the couch for balance. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Evie said kneeling down giving Savannah a hug. "Hey, you wanna come to work with me today?"

"Really?" she shouted. "Mom! Did you hear that? Aunt Evie is going to let me go to work with her today!"

"Awesome," Celes mumbled pulling the blanket up on her.

"Can I get a chocolate milkshake?" Savannah asked.

"Oh I don't know," Evie said giving her a wink. "If you're super good, maybe."

"Joe lets me have chocolate ice cream," Savannah said. Celes's eyes popped open. She hadn't had the time to tell Evie about Joni dating Joe. At the moment, it really hadn't crossed her mind. She knew that Evie was going to get ticked.

"Joe?" Evie asked. "Who's Joe?"

"Joni's boyfriend," Savannah said rolling her eyes as if Evie should have already known this. "He's Billy's brother." Celes shot up on the couch, her mouth already open to explain, but Evie stuck up her hand.

"Go get some clothes on sis," she said to Savannah. "And when we get back from work, Aunt Evie is going to have a nice little chat with Joni and your mommy about everything that has been going on since she's been gone." Savannah stared at Evie puzzled then darted out of the room, not wanting to miss the chance to going to the diner with her.

"Darley?" Evie asked. "Just tell me that for some reason she's talking about some other Joe and some other Billy."

"Uh..." Celes said then Evie gave her a soft shove on her head. Celes slowly fell back down on the couch throwing the blanket over her face. "Yell at me after the fever goes away." Savannah came running back in the room, yelling a goodbye to her mom as she grabbed Evie's hand, heading out the door. Celes let out a grumble as she tried to get herself comfortable. She could call Joni and give her a head's up that Evie was about to flip her lid. But she was comfortable now, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

—

Evie walked in the door, yelling a big hello to everyone in the diner. Big Mike popped his head through the window wondering who was acting like an idiot when he saw Evie waving at him.

"Well I thought you weren't coming back for another two days?" he shouted coming out from behind the back.

"I wasn't, but my aunt has twenty cats, and I was ready to come home," she said placing Savannah's pink backpack onto a table near the back. "And Celes is running a fever so I said I would come in for her shift. I brought Savannah along so she could get some sleep. That's cool, right?" Savannah looked up at Big Mike and smiled wide at him. He let out a laugh and patted her head.

"Always," he said. "Say Savannah, how about some fries?"

"With ketchup?" she asked her eyes big. "And a chocolate milkshake?"

"You got it kid," Big Mike said walking back to the back. Evie handed Savannah a few paper place mats and the cup of crayons they kept in the back for her.

"Thanks Aunt Evie, and I promise I'll be super good," Savannah said then crossed her heart. Evie smiled at her and went into the back, grabbing an apron and a ticket book. Savannah kept content for a while, drawing scribbles on the place mat and sipping on her chocolate milkshake. An hour had passed and the diner was starting to fill up. Savannah would glance up once in a while, looking at the people who came in the door. She dug through her bag, pulling out a red cape that Simon, a boy that stayed at the same sitter's had given her. She threw it around her neck, holding onto the strings, looking around for Evie. That's when she saw him, sitting in a corner booth, looking down at a paper. Her eyes jumped as she darted off the booth, making her way across the diner.

"Hi Billy," she said cheerfully standing next to him as he sat in the booth. Billy didn't even have to look up, already knowing the little voice that was coming next to him. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a long sleeve gray shirt that was rolled up, with a black shirt on top of it. The silver cross dangling from his neck. "Billy?" He finally looked up at the little girl as she grinned at him holding two red strings up. "Can you tie my cape for me?"

"Will you leave me alone if I do?" he asked. She nodded her head as he put the paper down. He gently tied the strings together, making sure not to choke her. That was the last thing he needed, someone thinking he was trying to kill the kid. "All right, you're done. Now scram."

"Thanks," Savannah said then darted across the diner, the cape flying behind her. Billy watched her climb back in her booth, picking up a crayon and starting to scribble with it. Evie came around, not realizing that Savannah had ever left the booth, filling up his coffee. Billy didn't look up at her, just stared back down at his paper. Ten minutes had passed when he felt a thud on the table and snapped his head up to see Savannah was back. She had placed her milkshake on the table and was climbing up in the booth, tossing her rag doll on the table.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You look lonely," she said. "And Molly Dolly wanted to say hi."

"Where's your mother?" Billy demanded.

"She's at home. She's been sick, and she sneezes and coughs a lot."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm with Aunt Evie, so mommy can get some sleep. Sometimes I talk too much and she doesn't like that when she's sick."

"Ya don't say?" Billy asked annoyed, he shook his head, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Can I sit with you? Just for a little bit? I don't like sitting over there." Billy let out a huff and nodded his head. He knew if he told her no, she would just come back again. "Really?"

"Just be quiet," he said looking back at the paper. He wasn't exactly one for current events, but he was buying time again. Heco had screwed up another batch, and he knew Bones was going to drill his ass about it when he didn't show up with enough money. Savannah hummed a little as she danced her rag doll across the table. She stopped, leaning her head in, taking a big sip from her straw. She made an "ahh" noise and licked her lips. Billy looked up at her and she smiled widely at him. Then she looked down realizing that the strings on her cape were coming loose again. "Uh-oh." Billy set down the paper letting out a groan as he reached over, retying the strings.

"Why are you wearing this?" he asked narrowing his eyes. He was about to tell her to scram. He didn't' care if she would run back and forth, he wasn't in the mood to have her rambling.

"Because I'm a super hero! Just like my daddy."

"Oh really?" Billy asked setting his hands back on the table.

"Yeah, but he's in Heaven now," Savannah said picking Molly Dolly up from the table. Billy's eyes lighten a little. "Mommy said that God wanted him up there because he was lonely."

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "So he was a super hero, huh?"

"Yeah, he saved people from fires. I don't really remember him, but mommy said he loved me very much." Savannah leaned over taking another big sip from her glass, looking out the window. Her eyes bulged as she jerked her head up, knocking the glass over. Billy quickly grabbed it and stood it back up. The ice cream was splashed across the table, and a few drops got on his shirt.

"Kid," Billy said in a warning tone as he grabbed some napkins wiping off the table. He looked back up at Savannah, but she was still staring out the window. "Hey." Savannah didn't respond, only staring straight out, her lower lip starting to quiver. Billy's eyes turned out the window to see a dark blue car parked a few spaces up. A man leaned against the car smoking a cigarette. He was tall, but not as tall as Billy, wearing dark sun glasses and a Red Sox cap. His dark hair was sticking out and it looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. The man was staring back at Savannah, as she quickly turned her head.

"Do you know him?" Billy asked realizing that Savannah was now scared. "Who is he?" Savannah leaned over to Billy, her big blue eyes staring right at his.

"That's a bad guy out there. A _really_ bad guy."

"Why?" Billy asked shaking a cigarette out of his pack and lighting it. He wasn't for sure if Savannah actually knew the guy or her imagination was getting away from her.

"He was mommy's boyfriend. His name is Luke," she whispered. "He was really mean to mommy. He always yelled at her, and sometimes he'd hit her." Billy's eyes narrowed as Savannah bit back her lip. "Mommy said we had to leave because he was so mean." She stared at Billy for a moment as Billy took a drag from his cigarette. "Can you keep a secret?" Billy nodded his head darting his eyes back out the window. The guy was walking up the sidewalk now, stopping at the newspaper stand. "You pinky promise?" She held out her tiny pinky at him, and Billy stared down at it. This little girl that didn't even know him was about to trust him with a secret. He wasn't for sure how to take it, or what to do. Most kids ran from him, pointed out his tattoos to their parents, or even laughed a little. Not Savannah, she had trusted him from the first day she saw him. Billy slid his hand over, sticking out his pinky and connecting it with her. He glanced around the diner making sure no one saw him. This was the last thing he needed one of his boys seeing. But he was curious of what Savannah was going to tell him.

"One night, when mommy had to work late. I split my plate, all over the floor. And Luke got really mad, and he shoved me across the room. When I started to cry, he hit me on my cheek." Billy could feel the heat rising across his face. "But he did that a lot when mommy wasn't around. I couldn't tell her, because he said mommy would just get mad. Then he'd make sure I got into more trouble for lying." She slid back into the booth. "That's why he's the bad guy. And I think he's coming to take me and mommy back home. But I don't want to go with him." Billy stared at Savannah as she picked up her rag doll and started to rock it. He looked back out the window, the guy was still standing at the newspaper stand talking to the cashier.

"You start a babysitting buisness Darley?" he heard someone ask. He looked up, his eyes still narrowed as Bodie stood in front of him. "Whoa, what's going on?" Billy shook his head taking another drag off of his cigarette.

"Savannah!" Evie yelled approaching the table. She didn't look at Billy as she scooped the little girl out of the booth. "You can't go running off like that and bothering people!"

"Sorry Aunt Evie," Savannah mumbled. Evie looked down to apologize then narrowed her eyes at Billy. Bodie raised an eyebrow as Baggy came up behind him, stopping when he saw Evie. "But I wasn't bugging him, he let me sit there." Evie put Savannah to the ground as she grabbed her rag doll out of the booth.

"Go back over there and finish coloring," Evie said then looked over seeing an impatient woman holding up a glass. She let out a groan giving Savannah a little pat on the back. "I'll bring you another milkshake in a second okay?" Savannah nodded her head as she walked past Bodie and Baggy.

"Who's the chick?" Baggy asked checking out Evie's backside. "She's kind of hot." Savannah stared up at Baggy, scrunching her nose.

"Aunt Evie's not hot, mommy has the fever," she stated. Bodie let out a laugh as he sat across from Billy. Savannah reached over grabbing the glass from the table.

"Bye Billy," she said her eyes a little sad.

"Bye kid," Billy mumbled stabbing his cigarette out in the ashtray. Baggy slid into the booth next to Baggy as Savannah darted back to her booth, her cape still sailing. Billy looked back out the window to see the guy that Savannah had been talking about heading to his car.

"Bodie," Billy said his eyes still on him. He pointed his finger as Bodie looked out the window. "Do me a favor and follow him. See if you can find out where he's staying."

"Why?" Bodie asked glancing at Baggy who shrugged.

"Just fucking do it, all right?" Billy barked.

"All right man, if it's that important to ya," he said then hit Baggy on the shoulder. "Come on." Bodie and Baggy got out of the booth walking out the door and heading to their car. The guy in the dark blue car pulled out, and a few seconds later he saw Bodie's car following him. He glanced back at Savannah who was now focused on coloring again. He lit up another cigarette, his fingers tapping fast against the table. The tapping noise sounded like a drum, his fingers hitting the table. _Thump, thump, thump._ It was a habit Billy had since he was ten, something he did when he wasn't able to control his temper..


	5. A Night Out

1**Author's Note: **So sorry for the lack of an update here! I've had the flu, and I'm still sick, and pretty doped up. If this chapter is kind of rambly, I apologize, and I didn't really proof read it that well, but I hope you like it any ways. Now I'm off to take some cold medicine and sleep for another 10 hours!

**Chapter Five: A Night Out**

Bodie slowly put on the brakes as the dark blue car they had been following took a right into a parking lot of a run down motel. The place was only a few blocks away from the bar Four Roses, a place they frequently hung out at. Bodie put the car in park on the other side of the street. 

"What's this about?" Baggy asked. Bodie didn't say anything at first, but watched the guy. That was the difference between him and most of the guys in the gang. Billy and him had grown up together, and when Billy wanted a favor, Bodie knew exactly what he wanted. He watched the man take the stairwell a few feet away from his vehicle. He jogged as he took the steps, like he was so eager to get back to get his room. The man was built, but nothing that even Joe couldn't handle on his own. Bodie watched as he finally stopped at a door, he looked at both sides of him, almost sensing that the two men were watching. Even if he did notice them, what was he really going to do? Bodie could tell by the way he was dressed that he didn't have anything on him. His clothes weren't loose enough to hide anything. The man stepped inside his room, letting the door slam behind him, the numbers 412 hanging on the door. 

"I think it's got something to do that chick," Bodie finally said taking one last look at the motel. He started up the car and put it in drive. "The waitress, with that kid that is always coming around."

"So who's that asshole?" 

"I dunno," Bodie said lighting a cigarette and handing one over to Baggy. "But I sure as hell don't want to be him if Billy is looking for him." Baggy nodded his head agreeing, lighting up his cigarette. 

"What's with that girl any ways?" Bodie just shrugged his shoulders, it wasn't like Billy was one to sit around discussing his feelings or anything. He almost laughed at the thought of it. 

"You know her friend is pretty hot," Baggy said.

"Joe's girl?"

"Nah, the other waitress."

"The bitchy one?"

"Yeah," Baggy said with a laugh. "She's got a nice ass." Bodie nodded his head, he wasn't about to disagree with that.

----

"Ow!" Celes yelped as Evie plucked at her eyebrows. 

"Hold still," Evie grumbled raising up the skin on her forehead. Celes let out another mumble. "Well, maybe if you'd trim your unibrow once in a while, I wouldn't-"

"I do _not_ have a unibrow!" Celes snapped.

"Obviously you haven't looked in the mirror lately," Evie snapped. "Okay I'm done, what do you think?" Celes turned her head to look in the mirror.

"Ohmygosh," Celes said quickly. Evie had pulled out the works as you would call it on her. Her hair had some volume in the back, but hung straight with shine. Her eyes were smoky, while her lips had a light shade of pink, giving them a much more fuller look. Celes hadn't worn this much make up or gotten herself this dressed up in...well, she couldn't exactly remember. She usually just threw her mess of curls on top of her head and added some powder to her face. She looked like a whole new person. "I look..."

"Hot?" Evie suggested and Celes let out a laugh. "Well you do, now scoot your butt, I've got to get ready."

An hour later both of the girls were heading out the door. Celes was still trying to adjust the shirt Evie had made her wear. She had tried wearing her own clothes, but after the fifth time of having to hear gagging noises come from Evie's mouth, she gave up. Instead she was wearing a pair of light blue jeans that had rips in the knees and right under her butt. A tight black halter shirt that showed off more cleavage than Celes had seen in years. Evie had on a pair of dark blue jeans with a white baby doll shirt. For once Evie looked more innocent than Celes. Which really was a miracle. When they reached Evie's vehicle Celes stopped almost unsure of herself.

"What?" Evie asked hitting the unlock button.

"I...Maybe I should just..." Celes started to say.

"Oh no!" Evie yelled climbing in the driver's seat. Celes opened her door climbing into the vehicle. "You're going. You already promised Joni. And you know how she is, she will never let you live that down."

"Okay, okay, okay," she said quickly. "Let's just go." 

"Thank you," Evie said backing out of the driveway. Twenty minutes later, Evie pulled into the parking lot of a gas station. "Okay, I don't know where the hell we're at." She picked up her phone and dialed Joni's number. After a few minutes of rambling, Evie hung up her phone and let out a sigh.

"What?" Celes asked.

"Apparently, the club was a bust, and now her and her gang banger boyfriend are at some bar. So much for it being a girls' night out." Celes could feel her heart start to race. If Joe was there, than maybe Billy would...no...she couldn't let herself think like that. She had only seen him once since that day he gave her a ride home. He had came into the diner, ordering coffee as usual. A heavy set guy with black thick glasses sat with him. This time Billy looked at her only once, his eyes fierce, as if he was warning her to stay away. The older man did most of the talking, in a low voice that was stern and harsh. This time Celes was able to watch Billy without him knowing. The first thing she noticed was that he kept looking down at his hands. His shoulders hunched over and for the first time he actually looked vulnerable. "She said it was about fifteen more minutes down this way," Evie said breaking Celes's thoughts. The girls drove a little bit longer than fifteen minutes when Evie spotted the bar a few feet ahead of them.

"Is this it?" Celes asked as they pulled into the parking lot. There were only a few cars in the parking lot and three men stood on the side of the building. Celes leaned a little forward and her eyes popped open a little. "I think the middle one is peeing on the building." 

"This cannot be it," Evie mumbled pulling her phone out. She punched in Joni's number and looked up at the sign above the bar door. Four Roses. After the fourth ring, they heard a familar laugh and looked over to see Joni walking out of the bar, phone in hand. Before she could answer it, Joe came up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling his mouth under her neck. She dropped her phone, and turned around, wrapping her arms around him.

"What kind of trash ass place has she gotten us into?" Evie snapped. Celes bit back her lip looking around the neighborhood. The bar wasn't in the best of places, obviously it was a place Joe was more accustumed to hanging out in. "Oh we've been spotted." Celes looked up to see Joni waving her hand up in the air, breaking herself away from Joe.

"Girls!" she shouted. She grabbed Joe by his hand, dragging him with her as she walked towards the vehicle. 

"Well this is going to be interesting," Evie mumbled opening the door. Celes opened the door and stepped out, tucking her money into her back pocket.

"Celes!" Joni yelled as she crashed right into her throwing her arms around her. "I am so glad you're finally coming out! And damn, you look hot!" Celes could smell the whiskey on her breath as she tried to keep her balance up.

"Okay lush," Evie said pulling Joni off of Celes. 

"What?" Joni asked confused.

"C'mon babe," Joe said to Joni. "Let's get back inside." 

"Yeah come on girls, I'll buy you your first shot," she said grabbing each of them by their arms and dragging them with her. The girls followed her in, and Celes was already regretting coming out. This wasn't what she had expected as she looked around the bar. The bar was musty and low lighted as they stepped through the door. In the far back corner were two pool tables and a large table where Celes could see a group of guys sitting at. She realized that there weren't many females in the bar, and most of the men stared at them like vultures. 

"So do you want some shots or do you want to play some pool?" Joni asked as Joe walked to the back table.

"Shots," Evie and Celes said in unison. Celes looked over to the table where Joe was now standing. He looked back over at the girls then leaned over whispering something in one of guy's ears. The guy stood up and Celes quickly recgonized that it was Tommy. When he noticed her staring at him, she quickly turned around. She eyed Evie who shrugged her shoulders. She could tell she was just as comfortable as she was.

"Okay girls," Joni said handing the shots over. "Hope everyone likes Tequila."

"What's going on Joni?" Tommy asked. Celes quickly downed her shot feeling the burn going down her throat. 

"Oh Tommy," Joni said. "You know Celes and Evie right?." Celes turned around and gave a slight smile. He stared at her for a moment, then looked over at Evie. He nodded his head at her and she raised both eyebrows, and turned her head around.

"I'm going to need six more shots," Evie told the bartender and pulled out her money. 

"You buying us a round?" Joe asked leaning against the bar.

"Oh no," Evie said with a laugh as the bar tender set them down in front of her. "These are for me." She quickly started downing the shots as Celes stood there with her hanging mouth open. After the fourth shot glass hit the counter, she stepped back, biting her lip. She waved her hand at the two remaining shots. "Celes, pick up the pace," she squeaked Celes let out a laugh and grab the shot glass, quickly taking them both. "Okay..." she said taking a deep breath. "That should last me at least the next thirty minutes." Celes sucked in a few breaths trying to get the burn out of her throat. She couldn't even remember the last time she had Tequila, and could feel her cheeks slowly growing warm. 

"Damn girl," Tommy quipped leaning over towards Evie with a sly grin on his face. 

"Don't even think about it, Mr. Tattoo Face," Evie said quickly. Joe let out a loud laugh as he slapped Tommy's shoulder. Tommy grumbled as Joni eyed both of them. 

"Let's go play some pool," Joni chimed in. Joe kissed her on the temple and let out of her waist as she led the girls to the back table. Evie could feel her buzz kicking in, but she wasn't for sure of the place still. She looked over Celes, who gave her the same look that she was feeling. Joe came back over with more shots for the girls. 

"Well this is going to be interesting," Evie mumbled and Celes nodded her head agreeing. Forty minute later, and too many shots to count, Celes threw down her pool stick on the table. It bounced a few times, making a thawk sound. 

"I give up!" Celes announced throwing her arms up in the air. 

"Oh c'mon!" Joni whined. "You can't give up. You're the only one that will play on my team!"

"That's because you suck!" Evie shouted with a beer in her hand. 

"You do," Celes agreed with a laugh. "Actually I think I kind of suck too." This caused all three of the girls to burst out laughing as the guys at the table eyed them.

"Your girl is ate up," Tommy said to Joe. "She's pretty hot though." Joe went to say something, but Tommy cut him off. "Billy's here." Joe looked up and downed his beer. "Hopefully he's in a better fucking mood."

"When's he ever in a good fucking mood?" Joe asked and Tommy let out a snicker. He nodded his head over at Celes. 

"So what's her story?" Joe looked over at Celes and looked back at Tommy shaking his head. "What? Someone already claim her?"

"Something on those lines," Joe replied.

Celes picked her pool stick up, wiping away the tears that were in the corner of her eye. She had to admit, she was having a good time. She was also amazed that she was able to handle her liquor so well. 

\/p>

"I'm about to piss myself," Evie announced throwing her pool stick down. "Where's the bathroom at?" Joni pointed to the front of the bar. Evie quickly walked off, and Celes looked up to yell something when she saw him. Evie had to side step to not get in his way. Celes could feel the goose bumps crawl up her arms as he walk towards the back. He walked with confidence with Bodie on the right of him, and Baggy on the left of him. 

"Damn Celes," Joni said nudging her. She snapped her head over to her with a questionable look on her face. 

"What?" she asked. Joni only laughed and took another drink of her beer. When she looked back, Bodie and Baggy were already approaching the table, but Billy stood back lighting his cigarette. He looked at her as he shoved his lighter back in his pocket. His eyes narrowed as if he didn't recognized her, then a smirk curled on one side of his mouth.

"Um..." she started to say to Joni. She found herself at a lost for words, as Joni raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm going to go get something else to drink..." 

"Will you get me another beer?" Joni asked.

"Sure," she said walking away from the table. She brushed some of the hair out of her face, and could still feel his eyes watching her. She reached the bar, and ordered a couple of beers when she heard someone come up behind her. She looked over to her side to see Baggy standing behind her.

"Hey," he said looking her up and down. "So-" Before he could finish his sentence, Evie came stumbling back out from the bathroom, crashing into both of them. 

"Okay, I could feel the hepititis crawling in there," she mumbled stumbling back from them. She gripped onto the bar giving herself some balance. Baggy leaned back a little, checking Evie out. She caught his stare and made a face.

"Hey," he said nodding his head ignoring the glare. "Let me buy you a drink."

"How about you _not_," Evie said rolling her eyes and stumbled off heading back towards the pool tables. 

"Nice try Baggy," Bodie cut in. Baggy shrugged, grabbing a beer from over the counter, and walked off. The bartender didn't say anything, as if he was use to something like that happening. He put the two beers Celes had ordered down in front of her. "Hey, give me two shots, one for me," he pointed his finger at Celes. "...and one for her." 

"Oh no," Celes said quickly waving her hand. Bodie looked over at her raising an eyebrow.

"You don't want to take a shot with me?" he asked leaning closer to her, a smile across his face.

"No," Celes said with a little smile. "I'm just..." 

"I think she's got something against you Bodie," a deep voice came behind her. Celes bit back her lip for a moment, knowing exactly who the voice belong to. She turned around staring up at Billy. "I dunno why, though, we always leave her a tip."

"No," Celes said again. "I've already had too much to drink." She turned back around wrapping her fingers around the two beers.

"Maybe she's just too good for you," Billy said sitting in the bar stool next to her. The bar tender brought over two shots and Bodie held one up.

"You sure?" he asked with a sly smile on his face.

"Yeah," she said quietly. Bodie shrugged and downed the two shots. He slapped Billy on the shoulder, grabbing a beer from the counter, and walked off.

"You're a little too fucking innocent to be in here," Billy said nodding at the bar tender who put a shot down in front of him. "Way too fucking innocent." Celes looked at him in confusion. 

"I'm _not_ innocent," she snapped. She was almost shocked at herself. But the way that he looked at her, struck something inside of her. It was like she always had to prove herself around him. "I'm not."

"You sure about that?" he asked then waved his hand to the bartender. He smirked and poured another shot and placed it in front of her. Billy nodded his head towards the glass and stared at her. He was challenging her again. She grabbed the shot in front of her and downed it. It burnt her throat worse than the Tequila had, and she quickly turned her head; not wanting him to see the look on her face. She let out a cough and turned back her head placing the glass on the bar. When she looked up at him, his shot glass was already empty. He took a deep drag off of his cigarette and exhaled, a smirk growing on his face.

"Maybe you're not," he said. He nodded his head at the bartender again, who placed two more shots down. Billy looked up at her again, and she grabbed both of the shot glasses and down one after the other. Placing them back on the table, she looked up at him, raising an eyebrow at him. "Well, look at you."

"Look at me," she quipped back.

"I am," he stated. She could feel her face blushing as he let out a little laugh. 

"I should," she stuttered realizing she still hadn't brought back Joni her beers. "I should take these to Joni." Billy glanced over to the back of the room, seeing Joni sitting on his brother's lap.

"I don't think she's really going to notice," he said then looked back at Celes. She nodded her head agreeing, then realized that he was giving her an open invitation to sit down. She stumbled on the bar stool, then slid one of the beers over to him. "You're nervous." He was staring up at the corner of her eye now. "You should be nervous in a place like this." He picked up the beer and tilted it back. "Girls like you don't belong in here."

"Why's that?" she asked trying to keep her cool. 

"Because they don't fucking last long." He stared at her again, as she bit back her lip. He was right, she didn't belong here. As she glanced around the room, she realized that no one was staring at her now like a vulture. She knew it was because of him.

"That's really reassuring, thanks," she mumbled taking a big drink from her bottle. He let out a smile as he pulled out a cigarette offering it to her. She accepted it, and leaned in as he flicked the lighter. She went to say something else, but noticed the expression on his face changed. His eyes narrowed as he stood up. She turned around quickly to see the same man that was at the diner, standing in the doorway. Billy grabbed her arm, carefully raising her up from the bar stool.

"Go back to your friends," he said, his eyes still on the doorway. When she didn't move, he glared down at her. "Go." He dropped her arm as she walked off, glancing behind her. He was straightening himself up, trying to hold his head high as he walked towards the man. 

"How'd your talk with Billy go?" Joni asked with a laugh when Celes approached them. She was still sitting on Joe's lap, when Joe looked over, realizing who was in the doorway. 

"Shit," he mumbled. Billy felt Joe's gaze and looked back at him, giving him a stern look that told him to stay where he was. 

"Who is that?" Celes asked. 

"Bones," Baggy said looking at Joe. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I dunno," Joe mumbled. "But it can't be good." 

"Well look what we fuckin' have here," Bones belted out. "Where ya been hiding these days Nazi?" Billy didn't say anything as the man pushed him into the back room, the door slamming behind them.

"Should we go?" Joni asked looking down at Joe.

"Yes," Evie chimed in shifting in her chair. She was sitting between Tommy and Baggy with an annoyed look on her face. "Let's go."

"We're good for now," Joe said ignoring Evie's comments. "Get me another beer?" Joni slid off his lap and looked over at Evie.

"You want some more shots?" Joni asked Evie.

"Make them doubles," she said as Baggy put his arm around her chair, leaning in. She put her hand up, pushing his face back. "And quickly please!" 

"You wanna come with?" Joni asked as she walked back Celes.

"Actually," Celes replied looking up at the clock. "It's still kind of early, do you care if I borrow your phone? I want to call and check up on Savannah."

"Sure," Joni said reaching in her back pocket and handing over her phone. "You won't get signal in here though. Make sure you call her cell phone, she always shuts the house phone off at night, so no kids wake up." Celes nodded her head, heading out of the bar. The air was crisp and she let out a little shudder as she walked across the parking lot. She really should have brought a jacket. She reached Evie's vehicle, realizing that she had locked it. Of course she had locked it. Celes leaned forward on the hood, her back to the street, as she flipped open the phone. Now standing outside, she realized she was a little more buzzed then she thought. 

"Oh come on," she mumbled looking through the phone. She wished she would have called earlier, that way she could have told Savannah good night. "Finally!" She was about to hit the call button when someone grabbed her by arms. She let out a yelp as the phone dropped out of her hands, sliding off of the hood. She heard it hit the pavement and felt someone's hot breath against her ear. 

"Not safe for a girl to be out here by herself," a voice hissed in her ear. She froze, because she knew who's voice it belonged too. Her chest started to rise and fall quickly, and she could feel her heart pounding through her chest. He spun her around, pinning her body against the car. "Miss me?" She knew her eyes were bulging as she stared at him. His dark brown eyes were almost black as he glared at her. He looked like he hadn't shaved in days, wearing a black hoodie and a ragged pair of jeans. 

"Lu-Luke," she stuttered her voice shaky. He still had a firm grip on both of her arms as he glared down at her. "What-What...What are you doing?"

"What am I doing here?" he asked with a harsh laugh. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" She couldn't answer him, the only thing she could feel was her eye twitching like crazy. She looked around desperately in the parking lot, but there was no one anywhere. Luke's grip tightened on her shoulders and he got closer in her face. "You've proved your point. Now you're going to come home with me." She started shaking her head quickly. He let go of her right arm, holding her chin so she couldn't shake her head anymore. His grip was tight as she let out another yelp. "You think this is cute? You fucking running off like you did? Huh?"

"Stop it," she pleaded. "You're hurting me!"

"Hurting you? How the fuck do you think I felt when you took off with Savannah like that, huh? Look at you, you look like a slut," his face was pressed against the side of her face now as he hissed in her ear. "I've been watching you Celes. I know where you live, I know where you work. I even know where little Savannah goes during your shifts. You're not getting away from me this time." He pushed his face away from her as she closed her eyes tight, trying to fight back the tears. This couldn't be happening, not now. "Let's go."

"No," she said quietly. 

"What'd you say?" he demanded.

"I'm not going with you Luke!" she shouted her eyes opening. He glared down at her, shoving her body hard against Evie's vehicle. "Stop!" He grabbed her throat as her hands flew up trying to break his grasp.

"You're coming with me," he hissed through grinded teeth. He dropped his hand quickly, gripping onto her arms again, looking past her. "Hey buddy, mind your fucking buisness!" Celes's eyes bulged realizing someone else was out in the parking lot. She took the free moment to start struggling with him and then she started yelling out.

"Help!" she screamed as he jerked her away from the car, fighting with her as she tried to get away. "Help!" She heard the footsteps quickly approaching as Luke was trying desperately to drag her to his car. He had her in front of him, and as much as she tried, she couldn't break his grip. She slung her body as hard as she could to the left, trying to trip him up, when suddenly she felt someone pulling her away. The force made her yelp in pain, but that's when she smelt him. The smokey sweet smell and she felt his arm wrap tightly around her waist. 

"I said this wasn't any of your fucking-" Luke tried to spat out. There was a crack noise as Billy stepped forward, punching Luke in the face. Luke stumbled back, cursing under his breath. His fist balled up as he charged back at Billy, who with his free hand, grabbed the gun that was securely stuck behind his back. He pointed it straight out towards Luke. Celes looked up at him, his chest was caving in and out quickly and the piercing gaze coming out of his eyes. She knew he was going to kill him.

"Don't," she gasped grabbing onto his arm. "Please." She felt like she couldn't breath anymore. She hated Luke, she hated him more than anything, but she couldn't let him die. She couldn't let Billy kill him, she wasn't that cold. Billy snapped his head down at her, seeing her eyes pleading. He turned back at Luke, his eyes were wide as blood trickled down his nose onto his lip.

"Celes-" Luke said, but Billy took a few steps near him, still holding the gun out. Celes stood back behind Billy now, her hands over her mouth, not knowing what he was going to do.

"Don't fucking talk to her," Billy said. "Get in your fucking car, and don't ever fucking come back here again!" Luke quickly turned around, taking quick steps to his vehicle. He jumped in the driver's seat, starting the car up. He hit the gas so quick that the tires squalled as he drove out of the parking lot. Celes sucked in the cold air, it felt like a knife cutting into her lungs. She couldn't stop shaking. He had made her panic again, and she knew it was a feeling she was never going to be able to fight. Once again Billy Darley had swept in, saving her life. All she could do was shake and wipe of the tears that were seeping out of her eyes. She could see Billy's breath in the night's air as he still had his back towards her. She saw him dig in his pants, grabbing a cigarette, and lighting it. He turned around swiftly, just staring at her, with no expression on his face. Her arms were crossed over as she stared back at him, then she started taking steps towards him. She wasn't quite for sure what she was doing, as she walked up to him. He stared down at her, his eyes questioning her.

"You know you're-" he said in a harsh ton as she cupped his face pulling him towards her. "-fucking stupid for coming-" He didn't finish his sentence as she pressed her lips against his. He dropped his cigarette, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist, kissing her back with force. His hand cupped the back of her neck, as a chill ran up her spine. She wasn't for sure now what she was doing, or if what was happening was actually real. She was still shaking as Billy broke away from her now, his arm still tightly around her waist. There were still tears in her eyes as she stared at him.

"Please," she whispered. "Just get me out of here." 

—

Celes heart raced as she followed Billy up the stairs to his apartment. He didn't say much of anything in the car except for offer her a cigarette. Before she got into his car, she quickly grabbed Joni's cell phone off the pavement and stuck it in her back pocket. She had planned on calling Evie once she had calmed down. She knew she couldn't walk back into the bar, not after what had just happened. She couldn't face all of those people, look at their stares, and having them know what had just happened to her. What scared her worse was knowing that Luke had been watching them. He knew where they had been staying. How could she have not seen him? How could she not have even sensed him? She had to stop thinking about it, he was gone. But she knew Luke, and she knew that he would be back. He always came back. 

"Hey," Billy said staring at her. He was standing inside his apartment now, the door wide open. She quickly walked in quickly glancing around the apartment. What surprised her the most of how clean it was. The walls were bare, but she didn't exactly think he'd be one for home decor or anything. He placed his hand on her back as they walked down the hallway into his room. She still had her arms crossed over her chest as Billy shook off his coat, throwing it on a chair. Celes caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. Her eye makeup had smeared a little, but other than that, she looked fine. There was something different about her face, as scared as she felt, her eyes seemed calm. She felt Billy's hand brush against her face as she quickly looked up at him. His gaze was intense, and Celes wasn't sure what he was going to do.

"You're not nervous," he said touching the corner of her eye. She should have been. She should have been more nervous than she had ever been around him. Instead she kissed him again, not knowing why exactly. His arms wrapped her around her tightly as they crashed into a wall. She pulled his shirt off, while his hands roamed on her. He finally broke away from her kiss, sitting down on the edge of his bed. She looked down at him, his shoulders wide, with the tribal tattoos crawling across his arm and up to his neck. He was staring up at her intensely and reached out, grabbing her by her belt loops, pulling her forward to him. 

"You're too fucking innocent for me," he said sternly. He wasn't challenging her this time. He was merely stating the obvious fact that was before them. This wasn't the type of girl she was. She _was_ innocent in so many ways and he was the exact opposite of that. She knew that she shouldn't be here, in his room, alone with him. 

"I'm not that innocent," she said in almost a whisper as she peeled her shirt off, throwing it across the room. A smile crept across his face as his hands started to move past her waist, and up on her bare back.

"Maybe you're not," he replied unsnapping the back of her bra. Celes took a deep breath as a chill ran up her spine. He cupped the back of her neck, pulling her close to him, kissing her with aggressively. She wasn't for sure what she was doing, or what had even possessed her. There was something about him though, something that she felt and knew she needed. 

Her heart was still racing as she laid in bed next to Billy. His arm securely wrapped around her, his breath hot on her neck. It surprised her how he held her, making sure she didn't get too far away. She was tracing his tattoo with her finger, still amazed of what had just happened. He shifted a little, clearing his throat.

"Get some sleep," he mumbled then kissed the back of her neck. He tighten his grip around her waist, pulling her closer to him. That's when she felt it. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. For once, she actually felt safe. 

\/p> 


	6. Claimed

1Thanks for all the awesome reviews guys! This chapter is probably the shortest one I've written, but I hope you like it any ways! 

**Chapter 6: Claimed**

Celes fluttered her eyes and let out a small yawn. Something had woken her as she stirred a little. She started to stretch, but felt something tugging at her waist. She let out a grumble, glancing down, and realizing that she wasn't in her bedroom. Her eyes popped staring down at the tattooed arm, while she felt her heart start to race. Last night played through her head, and she laid there stunned for a minute. Suddenly music ripped through the room, as Celes darted her eyes, realizing it was coming from her jeans. 

"Crap," she mumbled reaching over to the floor. She still had Joni's phone, which meant no one probably knew where she was at. Or what had happened to her last night. Billy let out a grumble as Celes dug into her jeans pulling out the phone. She looked down at the caller ID, to see Evie's number popping up. She sucked in a deep breath preparing herself for the yelling she was about to endure. "Hello." 

"_Celes!_" Evie screamed on the other end. Celes ripped the phone away from her ear, still able to hear Evie's voice on the other end. Billy wrapped his arm around her, pulling her near him, and kissed the top of her shoulder.

"Evie," Celes mumbled. "Calm down, I'm okay."

"Calm down! Do you have _any_ idea how worried we've been? We thought you were dead! Where are you?" Evie demanded. 

"I'm uh.." Celes stuttered trying to think of a good excuse. She wasn't about to tell Evie that she was laying in bed, completely naked with Billy Darley. She thought if she was going to give her a heart attack, she'd rather do it in person. "I'll be home in just a little bit, and I'll explain everything."

"Oh you'll explain everything huh? You're with him, _aren't_ you?" Evie yelled and Celes bit back her lip. "I cannot believe you-Oh I'm so irritated-just get your ass home!" She hung up the phone before Celes could even reply. Celes stared down at the phone for a minute, almost wanting to bust out in laughter. She hadn't pulled a stunt like this since she was a teenager, and Evie still had that same irritating voice from back then. The reality sunk in, as she realized she wasn't a teenager anymore, and there was a five year old waiting needing to be picked up. Celes shot up in bed, ripping herself out of Billy's arms.

"What's the hurry?" he grumbled sitting up. She quickly grabbed her clothes as he watched her, a smirk crawling on his face.

"Stop," she said blushing, but he didn't. He reached over on the night stand, lighting up a cigarette, his eyes never leaving her direction. She tried to ignore him, but she couldn't. "I've got to get home." He didn't answer her as she slipped her shirt over her head. Once it was on, she glanced in the mirror brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. Her makeup from last night was surprisingly still on her face, as she rubbed a few smudges off. That's when she noticed a small picture sticking out of the corner of the mirror. The picture was of a woman, but only captured her face. She was beautiful. Her skin was fair with light brown hair, but it was the eyes that stood out. Celes felt his hands on her shoulders, as she glanced up. He stood behind her, his pants already on, and kissed the side of her temple. He didn't say anything, but stared down at the picture for a moment. She knew by the eyes that it had be Billy's mother.

"Is that your-" she began to ask staring at him in the mirror.

"Yeah," he replied breaking away from her. He walked over grabbing a black shirt from his closet. He walked back over to her, handing his cigarette to her, as he threw the shirt over his head. He took the cigarette back and glanced back over at the mirror. "She died when I was a kid." Celes nodded her head as he grabbed his car keys off the dresser. "C'mon." She followed him through the apartment and out into the parking lot. Celes climbed in the passenger side of the car, still trying to put together what had happened. She knew the girls were going to drill her, Joni mainly wanting details, Evie wanting answers. Billy rolled down his window, flicking the cigarette out. He glanced over at her, as she quickly looked back down at her hands.

"Why aren't you scared of me?" he asked in a gruff voice. 

"What?" Celes asked confused.

"You told me before you weren't scared of me."

"I'm not," she said softly.

"But you get nervous quick," he said. "Why's that?"

"Because I don't know what you're going to do," she said bluntly. He looked over at her now, his eyebrows scrunched. 

"That doesn't make any fucking sense. Then why aren't you scared of me?"

"Because you saved my life," she stated. Billy stared at her, as if she caught him off guard. It was the only truth that she could make of it. She had been scared of him when she first saw him. His eyes cutting through her, the dangerous glare he gave off. But saving her, when he didn't even know her, hell he still didn't know her. For some reason she was worth his time. "Twice actually." He looked back at the road, his eyes darting for a moment, like he was thinking something over in his head. He reached under his seat, pulling out a small handgun. Celes's eyes bulged as she grip the side of her seat. What was he doing? He glanced over at her, his hand still on the gun as he held it out to her. She stared at it, her eyebrows raised. He looked back at traffic, still holding out his hand. When she didn't automatically take it, he glanced back at her, his eyes narrowed.

"Take it," he ordered.

"No," she said quickly. She could feel her body tensing now. He thrusted his hand forward, the gun now right in front of her. "I'm not taking it." Billy let out a huff as he took a sharp turn into a parking lot. She jerked forward, grasping onto the seat tightly, as he hit the brakes.

"Take the damn gun," he said throwing the car into park. She shook her head as he reached over, ripping her hand off of the seat. She jerked her hand back from him. "What happens the next time some prick attacks you? You think I'm going to be there every fucking time? Take. It.."

"I'm not taking that thing," she said shaking her head. He was getting irritated now as he took a deep breath. He thrusted the gun back at her again, but she turned her head, staring out the window. 

"Fine," he spat sticking the gun back under his seat. "Be fucking stupid." Celes jerked her head back at him, her eyes glaring.

"I'm _not _stupid," she snapped. He didn't say anything as he threw the car into drive, hitting the gas as they sped off into traffic. She stared at him, as he gripped onto the steering wheel. Last night replayed through her head. Would Luke have gotten her in the car if Billy hadn't showed? What if Celes would have hesitated when Billy pulled the gun? "You were going to kill him." she blurted out. He didn't say anything, his fingers tapping in a rhythm against the steering wheel

"Probably," he finally said not looking at her still. "Why the hell did you stop me?" 

"What?" she almost yelled. "Because it's not up to you to decide when he dies." He glanced at her, hearing Savannah's words playing in his head. _"He's a really bad guy." _

"No matter what they do?" he demanded, his fingers now drumming faster on the steering wheel. _"Can you keep a secret?"_ "That asshole doesn't deserve it?" She stared at him now, her head tilted. She didn't understand what he was getting at. Or why he was pushing the issue.

"Asshole or not, it's not up to you. It's not up to me, and-" she threw her hands up, taking in a deep breath. "I'm not talking about this anymore." They were only a few blocks away from her house, as Billy's fingers kept thumping against the steering wheel. Celes ran her fingers through her hair. She had only known him in a short amount of time, but already he talked to her as if he knew her and her life. Like the whole awkwardness of a relationship had been looked over. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she reached over placing her hand on top of Billy's; making the thumping noise come to a stop. He put on the brakes, slowing down in front of her house. He looked down at his hand then looked at her, his eyes still harsh. "I can't have a gun because I have a daughter. If you haven't noticed by now, she's a little bit on the nosey side." She took her hand off of his, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she reached over grasping onto the door handle. She felt his hand on the back of her neck, sending goose bumps up her arms. She turned her head around, feeling his lips on hers, as she closed her eyes. He kissed her deeper, his hand moving down the side of her arm. 

"Celes!" she heard Evie yell. Celes broke away, looking past Billy and out the car window. Evie stood halfway up the yard. Her foot was tapping quickly against the sidewalk with her hand attached to her hip. She was still in her pajamas, with her hair pulled up in a tangled ponytail. Celes couldn't help but crack a smile as Billy sat back in his seat. 

"Better go," she said pushing her door open.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I'll see you later, okay?" She nodded her head, getting out of the vehicle and walking around the car. She knew he was watching her as she walked up the side walk, trying not to laugh at Evie.

"You look like crap," Celes mumbled walking past her. 

"Well that's what happens when you're up all night worrying that your best friend is dead in a ditch!" she belted out. She glared at Billy's car before turning on her heel and walking towards the house. Billy hit the gas, taking off down the street. He turned the music on, and rub the side of his jaw. He needed to find Joe, and get to work, but he knew that wouldn't come that easy. He loved his little brother, he was the only real family he had left. Unless you counted Bones, which he didn't. He wanted Joe to join his gang, but knew right now he wasn't ready. Even at twenty-three Joe was still a kid. He made quick decisions that got him into noticeable trouble. Attention was the last thing any of the boys wanted. Billy cracked his neck as he drove, but suddenly something caught his eye. There was the same dark blue car, pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ Billy's jaw clenched as he hit the gas, heading to the Four Roses. He hoped that the boys were already there, because he had some new buisness to take care of.

Joni was smiling widely as she opened the screen door as Celes approached it. "Don't let her lie to you," she said. "She didn't even know you were gone until five minutes before she called you." Celes turned around as Evie glared at Joni. 

"You weren't suppose to tell her that!" Evie yelled stomping into the house. Celes walked into the kitchen grabbing a cup of coffee. She jumped up on the counter, taking a long sip out of the cup. When she put it back down, Evie and Joni were both standing in front of her.

"Okay spill it!" Joni shouted with her hands up in the air. Evie made a face as if she was in pain, covering her ear.

"Chill," Evie said lowering Joni's hands. "I'm still a little hung over here."

"So..." Joni said ignoring Evie. "Did you...?" Celes gave them both a grin and pulled down part of her shirt, showing off one of the many marks on her body. Joni let out a gasp as Evie slapped her forehead then winced in pain. 

"I cannot believe you," Evie mumbled.

"Oh ignore her, she was too busy making out with Baggy to even realize you were missing," Joni said waving her hand. Evie and Celes both snapped their heads up staring at Joni. 

"I did not!" Evie yelled defensively. Joni let out a laugh and stared at her.

"Yes you did! You passed out on the table, and when we got you in the car to take you home, you were in his lap-"

"Oh please tell me he was _not_ the one with the tattoo on his face," Evie said holding her stomach.

"No," Joni said as Evie sighed relief. "He had the tattoo on the neck...and the mohawk."

"A mohawk," Evie groaned. "I think I'm going to puke!" Celes and Joni both let out a laugh as Evie darted to the bathroom. 

"I need details," Joni said pushing herself up on the counter next to Celes. "And I mean, _all_ the details."

"Joni," Celes said blushing. Evie walked back into the kitchen and slumped down on a kitchen chair. "Are you okay?"

"No," she grumbled. "I feel like I just made out with a nasty gang banger, oh wait I did. Gee, I guess I'm just like Joni...and you now."

"Hey," Joni snapped. "What's wrong with Joe?"

"Well first off, he looks like a hobbit," Evie quipped. Joni's eyes bulged as Celes held up her hands, trying to secure the battlefield that was about to break out.

"Do you want to hear what happened to me or not?" she asked quickly. This got both of the girls' attention as Celes started to tell them about what happened when she walked out in the parking lot last night.

—

Later on that evening, Luke splashed water on his face, taking in a deep breath. He wasn't for sure who the hell the guy was from the night before, but he knew he had to get Celes back. Just seeing her again, knowing that she wasn't his anymore. Anger surged through him as he clenched the side of the motel counter. He grabbed the towel off the rack, wiping his face, when suddenly he heard a loud crash. He snapped his head towards the door as he saw four men stalk into his room.

"What the-" Luke shouted as Billy approached him. Before Luke could get another word in, Billy shoved his gun into Luke's mouth. Luke made a gasping noise as Bodie, Baggy, and Tommy stood to the side, their eyes stern.

"Don't fucking move," Billy said harshly. "Check him Bodie." Bodie walked over, patting Luke's pant legs down. He lifted the back of his shirt then looked over Luke's shoulder, shaking his head at Billy. He reached in his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and took a few steps back. Billy narrowed his glare at Luke who was starting to take a deep breaths. "Do you remember me?" Luke nodded his head quickly, his heart pounding. "You were lucky last night." Bodie emptied out his wallet, stuffing the cash into his pocket. He stood next to Billy, holding up the wallet revealing a picture of Celes and Savannah. They were both smiling, Celes's arms wrapped around her daughter. Billy took his free hand and ripped the picture out. "You think you're lucky today?" Luke let out a muffled yelp, squeezing his eyes shut. "You think he's lucky Baggy?" Baggy licked his lips and let out a grunt.

"Nah," Baggy said shaking his head. Luke let out another muffled cry as his hands started to shake.

"Me either," Billy said shoving the picture of Celes and Savannah in his face. "Open your eyes." When Luke didn't do it quick enough, Billy shoved the gun further in his mouth. He gasped as he his popped open. "They're not _yours_. They don't fucking belong to you anymore. You got that?" Luke took in deep gasp as Billy's eyes narrowed. "You fucking got that!" He nodded his head quickly. "You got five fucking seconds to leave here. You don't take your stuff, you don't take your car. And if you ever come back, I will blow your fucking brains out. You got that?" Luke nodded his head as Billy slowly took the gun out of his mouth. Bodie raised his gun, making sure Luke didn't try to pull anything. "Five...four..." Billy started to chant as Luke stood there. "I'd start running...three..." Luke dashed past Billy ripping open the front door of the motel room. They heard the pounding of his feet as he raced down the stairwell. Tommy leaned out the door, watching the direction Luke had taken off in. Billy reached over swiping Luke's keys off the dresser, tossing them up in the air. He looked back at Bodie with a grin as Baggy and Tommy started going through the room, taking whatever was worth some value. 

"Doesn't look like much man," Tommy said stuffing whatever was worth value in a plastic laundry bag. He handed it over to Billy as Billy clutched the wallet in his hand. 

"All right," Billy said placing a cigarette in his mouth. He tossed the keys to Bodie. "Take his car to Bone's. I'll be down there in a minute." Bodie nodded his head as Billy took one more glance around the room. "Let's go." When they reached the parking lot, Billy opened his car door, lighting up his cigarette. The sun was setting behind him as he looked over at Baggy and Tommy.

"Find him," he ordered. "Make sure his ass never comes back." Both of the men nodded their heads as they took off in a sprint in the same direction Tommy saw him run. 

"So he's not that lucky?" Bodie quipped opening the car door with a grin. 

"Not that fucking lucky," Billy replied climbing into his car. He tossed the plastic laundry bag in the passenger seat, scooping up the wallet. He flipped it open, the picture of Savannah and Celes falling out on his lap. He took a deep drag off of his cigarette as he stared at the picture. _ "Can you keep a secret?_" Savannah's words tore through him again. _"That's why he's the bad guy. I think he's coming to take me and my mommy home." _Billy exhaled, shoving the picture into his pocket. _"But I don't want to go with him." _ Billy rolled down his window, his arm dangling out. As he turned out of the parking lot, he heard a _pop_, knowing that Tommy and Baggy had gotten the job done.


	7. Stern Warnings

1**Chapter 7: Warnings**

"Billy," Celes giggled as his lips brushed against her neck. She lightly shoved him away, but he hardly budged. "I'm at work." She knew she was blushing, but that was the main reason why he was doing it.

"You're on break," he whispered in her ear as his hand went under her shirt. Her eyes popped as she jumped back, trying to hide her smile.

"Stop," she said her hand now grasping his. "You're going to get me in trouble." He grinned at her, leaning back in the booth, pulling her with him. "I've got to get back to work."

"No one is looking," he stated as Celes could get a whiff of whiskey on his breath.

"I still have customers," she said as he started kissing her neck again. "Okay _stop_!" He let out another laugh as she unlocked his arms from her waist sliding out of the booth. She glanced over at Evie who was making gagging noise while shoving her finger in her mouth. She couldn't help but let out a little laugh as Billy shook his head.

It had been a month since the night she left with Billy from the bar. Since then, Billy had decided to stay in her life. She never knew when he was going to show up. Some days she would only see him for ten minutes before she had to pick up Savannah. Or other days, he'd pick her up on her lunch breaks, going to his apartment. She'd come back into the diner, smooth out her shirt or fixing her hair and Evie would pretend to gag, like she was doing now. Evie had made her feelings clear of what she thought, in her words, 'Billy and his gang of idiots'. She had one main rule. Billy was not allowed at the house. Which didn't bother Celes really, because of Savannah. She didn't want to be one of those moms that brought a guy into her kid's life when she knew they wouldn't stick around. Every time he would show up, her heart would start to race. She kept reminding herself that he wasn't the type of guy to stick around. But then he would show up suddenly. What surprised her more, was not that he kept showing up, was how he handled Savannah. Some days she would be at the Diner if Celes couldn't find a babysitter. Billy would sit with her for a while, letting her ramble on or just watch her as she colored. He always made sure that her cape was tied for her.

Celes rounded the corner of counter, giving a Evie a light shove. She rolled her eyes then looked over at Billy. She had no clue what her friend saw in him. She understood Joni's reasons, Joni would date anyone. She was beginning to think that Celes must have a saving complex. Trying to tame the bad guys, make a difference. Or perhaps her friend had really just lost her mind.

"Hey Celes," Big Mike called out from the back. "Do you care to run to the store? We're out of hamburger buns."

"Yeah," Celes said grabbing her purse from under the counter. "Register or the safe?"

"Already got it for ya," he said handing her cash through the small window. "And buy all the packages they have, the truck is not coming in for another four days. _Somebody_ has been slacking on ordering." He looked over at Evie who started shaking her head.

"If you want me to do more duties other than look pretty and serve food; then you need to give me a raise," Evie stated. Big Mike rolled his eyes as Celes laughed heading to the door. She looked over at Billy mouthing "be back" to him as he nodded. He turned around watching her in the window as she got into her truck and drove off. He glanced up at the clock, the boys should have been there fifteen minutes ago. It was already seven, and he still had to go by Bone's shop to turn in last night's earnings. He had left the bag at his apartment, telling Joe to swing by and get it before he came to the Diner. He was hoping Joe wouldn't forget, but knew that he should have told Bodie instead. Joe wasn't the reliable one, hell, none of them really were besides Bodie.

The chimes went off as Joe, Bodie, and Baggy walked into the Diner. They were all laughing as Billy threw his hands up.

"Sorry man," Joe said throwing Billy's bag at him and sliding in the booth. "We had to make a quick stop."

"I am fucking starving," Baggy said sitting across from Billy as Bodie slid in next to him. "Do we have time to eat?"

"Yeah," Billy replied lighting a cigarette. "About fifteen minutes ago you did."

"Oh c'mon man," Bodie said. "It's not even past seven yet, we've still go the whole night."

"Just hurry it up," Billy grumbled. It didn't matter what time he showed up at Bones's, he would still yell. Billy could give him grand after grand and he's still try to take a swing at him. The boys were ready to order five minutes later, but Evie was taking her time before heading to their booth. Billy started tapping his finger on the table, he was getting irritated. He knew that Evie didn't like him, but they had shit to do for the night.

Ten minutes later, Evie spotted the boys out of the corner of her eye staring at her. She was hoping that Celes would get back by now. It wasn't like they were going to tip her well any ways. She went around the counter, grabbing a bottle of Ketchup for a customer, when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around quickly, seeing Baggy smiling at her. He looked her up and down as she jerked away from his hand.

"What do you want?" she asked an eyebrow raised.

"Well..." he started to say with a sly smile on his face.

"Oh gross," she said walking back around the counter. "I'll be over there in a minute." She still didn't believe Joni when she said that she had actually made out with him. She had standards, even drunk, she still had them. Baggy went back to the booth mumbling she'd be there in a minute.

"Well," Evie said flatly as she approached their table blowing a piece of hair out of her face.

"Nice to see you too," Joe quipped.

"Are you ready to order or what?"

"You know," he stated. "I'm beginning to think that you don't like us that much."

"Gee," Evie said in a cheerful voice. "Whatever would give you _that_ idea?" Billy looked up at her, his eyes stern. Evie narrowed her eyes right back at him. She wasn't in the mood for any of them tonight.

"Just take the fucking order," Billy growled looking back up at the clock.

"Then fucking order," Evie snapped back. Bodie made an "Ohhh" noise across from Billy as Billy's nostrils started to flare as he stared at Evie.

"You've got a lot of nerve," he stated sticking his hand into his coat. Evie took a small step back, not for sure what he was going to pull out. Billy pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and looked back up at her. "A lot of fucking nerve."

"Do you think you're someone to me?" The words flew out of her mouth before she could even stop herself. In seconds, Billy was on his feet as Joe scrambled to get out of the booth. He knew his brother well, and the look on Billy's face showed that he was going to do something rash.

"What is your problem?" he bellowed lurching over her, his face only inches away from her's.

"Billy man," Joe said reaching over to grab his brother. Billy wasn't going any where, and Joe could tell neither was Evie. He looked back at Bodie who was chewing on a straw and shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon man, chill."

"I asked you a question," Billy stated ignoring his brother. Joe slumped back against the booth, waiting.

"So just because you ask means I've got to answer?" Evie asked her eyebrows popping up on her face. The look on his face gave her the obvious answer of a yes. "_You're_ my problem." He didn't respond to her, just stood there and glared. "Why the hell are you even interested in her? She's been through more shit then you could imagine, and she doesn't need your shit to add to it!"

"My shit?" he challenged. Evie's face was flushed now as her finger jabbed Billy in the chest.

"You better not hurt her," she said sternly. "And you better not put one damn hand on her or I will-"

"Are you _threatening_ me?" Billy asked with a laugh. He looked back over in guys' direction. "This bitch is threatening me."

"Yeah," Evie snapped. "That just shows you how crazy of a bitch I am!" Evie felt someone brush in front of her, as Celes quickly slid herself in between the two. Her back was pressed against Billy's chest, feeling it caving in and out.

"Woah," Celes said her hands now on Evie's shoulders. She had seen this look before. The same look Evie had the night she came and got Savannah and her from Luke. The same crazy look she had when she was about to cross a line. She knew that Billy was quick to jump on his temper, but so was Evie. Celes quickly looked over at Joe, her eyes popping. He just shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say as he stood close to Billy. "What is going on?" Evie looked at Celes and removed her hands from her shoulders.

"Nothing," Evie snapped. "Nothing at all." She gave Billy one last glare and quickly walked off towards the counter. Celes watched her go, still confused as she turned around to face Billy. She looked up at him, and almost wished that she would have never turned around. His face was tense as he still glared in Evie's direction.

"Hey," Celes reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek. "Billy." He wouldn't look down at her, his eyes still glued on Evie. "Billy, calm down."

"Don't," he said ripping her hand off of his face. Her hand was still in his grip as he stared at her. She stared back at him in shock as she rip her hand out of his grip. "Just..." He shook his head and turned around, grabbing the pack of cigarettes off the table. "We've got shit to do." Joe nodded his head as Baggy let out a sigh.

"Every damn time I'm hungry," he mumbled. Billy either didn't hear or ignored his comment as he tried to walk around Celes. She didn't step out of his way, trying to block him. She wanted to know what had happened.

"Billy," she started to say, but found herself in a lost of words. He glanced over where Evie was standing behind the counter, her eyes burning a hole through him. He bit back his lip, and finally looked at her. "What..." He just shook his head, cupping his hand on the back of her neck. He leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'll see you tonight," he said quietly. She nodded her head, her hand on his chest. "Okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled as he let go of her neck. He nodded his head at the boys to follow him as he headed towards the door. He took one more look at Evie, who now stood behind the counter, her hand on her hip. She was still glaring at him, as he lit up a cigarette and walked out the door. Bodie approached the counter and she glanced over at him.

"What?" she asked annoyed. He pulled out a couple crumbled up ones, tossing them on the counter.

"I'm impressed," he said. She raised an eyebrow, grabbing the money and marking off his ticket. "No one talks to Billy that way."

"Oh really?" she asked even more annoyed.

"And no one has ever walked away from it."

"Is that suppose to scare me?" she asked slamming the cash register shut. Celes was now rounding the corner with an irritated look on her face. She threw up her hands at Evie who looked back at Bodie.

"It should," Bodie said then gave her a grin. Evie rolled her eyes as Bodie walked away. She grabbed a canister and popped the top of it.

"Don't try to ignore me," Celes said leaning on the counter. "You said you'd give him a chance."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Evie said walking off. "I've got customers."

"You can't ignore me all night," Celes warned.

"Oh I can try," she replied grabbing a few menus and heading to a table. Celes let out a huff as heading to the back to put up the hamburger buns up.

Billy got out of his car, slamming the door hard behind him. _"Who does that bitch think she is?" he thought to himself. _No one had said anything as he drove to Four Roses to drop the guys off before he headed to Bones's shop. He wanted to slam Evie against the wall, scare the hell out of her. He probably would have if Celes hadn't swept in between them. He walked past the beat up cars as the pit bull came flying around the side of one, barking its' head off. Billy kept walking though, ignore the yapping dog that was only inches away from his feet. He took a deep breath, keeping his posture straight, as he strutted into the chop shop. Bones's guys were inside working, taking apart stolen cars as he strided in with his head up. He walked straight through, keeping a calm look on his face as he approached Bones's office. Bones was sitting at his desk, his thick black glasses on, as he cleaned a gun. Billy stopped for a second, staring down at the gun. There was nothing scarier then knowing that he could possibly shoot him at any minute. Bones didn't look up as Billy approached his desk, until Billy cleared his throat.

"You're fucking late," Bones spat, spit flying out of his mouth. He looked up at Billy and squinted. "You got my money?"

"Yeah," Billy said holding out the bag to him. Bones ripped it out of his hands and stood up, dumping the bag on the counter. Packs of bills fell out on to the desk as Bones stared at it for a moment.

"This is your night?" he demanded. He picked up the bills, flipping through him and narrowed his eyes at Billy. "You're short." Billy shifted his eyes looking down at the bills. He shouldn't have been short. He counted it last night, they had made over two grand, best night that they had in a while. "Where's my fucking money?"

"What are you talking about?" Billy almost yelled. Bones chucked the pack of bills at him.

"Fucking count it," Bones demanded. Billy swept up the money, quickly counting it, and stopped when he hit the last bill. He was seven hundred short, and let out a huff. _"Dammit Joe," he thought._

"Shits been slow," Billy said tossing the money back on the desk. He wasn't about to tell Bones that Joe had stolen the money. It didn't matter that Bones was their father, he would kill either one of them in a split second if he knew that they were stealing from him.

"I'm sorry," Bones said cupping his hand around his ear. "I think you just said that you don't have my fucking money. Which really couldn't be, because you know I'll kill you." Billy stood up straight as Bones glared at him. "Get me my money Billy boy." He sat back down in his chair, and picked up his gun. "In five seconds I'm going to load this gun and start using your ass for target practice, if you don't get the fuck out of my sight." Billy exhaled loudly as he quickly turned around knowing that he wasn't using a figure of speech on him.

"Hey Nazi," Bones bellowed. Billy stopped in his tracks, not turning around. "That fucking money better grace my presence by Sunday. Or someone's going to have to answer for it. Lord knows I've been patient." Billy didn't say anything, just nodded his head, and walked out of the shop. He ripped his car door open, chucking the bag into the back. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel. Joe knew better, he knew better than to rip Bones off like that. He hit the gas heading to the Four Roses.

Bodie sat in his seat, downing his beer when he saw Billy charging through the door. His eyes were locked right on Joe, his jaw clenched tight. Bodie had known Billy for years, and knew that look. It only meant one thing. "What the," he tried to say as Billy shoved past Heco and Dog, almost knocking them on their feet. "Joey boy you better-" Joe had his back turn towards Billy. He was in mid sentence, telling Baggy a joke when he turned around quickly to see Billy right behind him. He tried to get to his feet, but Billy grabbed the top of his shoulders, springing him to his feet. He couldn't even get a word in as his beer fell to the floor splashing at his feet. The next thing he saw was the wall, as he slammed into it.

"Dammit Billy!" Joe yelled his face pressed against the wall.

"You fucking steal from me?" Billy hissed ripping him back from the wall.

"C'mon man!" Bodie yelled jumping to his feet. He grabbed Billy back knowing that Billy could easily hurt Joe without even realizing it. "That's your little brother man, calm down."

"You fucking steal from _me_ Joey!" Billy screamed. Joe stood there dumbfounded. He had planned to be out of the bar before Billy even showed up. Joni was running late, as usual. He took the money, not thinking that Bones or anyone would really notice. Some nights were slow, and he was hoping that Billy hadn't checked the bag before he left it in the apartment. "You let me walk in there like that?" Billy was shoving past Bodie and Baggy now, as they tried to stop him. Joe quickly side stepped him, almost knocking over a chair.

"What are you talking about?" Joe yelled not wanting to admit that he actually stolen from his brother. He had good reason though, something he didn't want to tell Billy. Not yet any ways.

"I'm going to-" Billy stopped now, slamming his fist hard into the wall. "I knew you weren't cut out for this shit. You're done! Get your ass home!" Joe stared hard at his brother now. It was always Billy who called the shots, watched after him. But he wasn't a kid anymore, he was twenty-three, and he was tired of getting bossed around.

"I'm done?" Joe yelled as he headed to the door. "Fuck you!" He kicked open the door, his face red from being so mad. He grabbed the cigarette pack out of his red jacket, putting a cigarette in his mouth. "Where the hell are you?" he mumbled looking around the parking lot for Joni. He didn't hear Billy come up behind him, but he heard Bodie yelling. Billy slammed his hands into Joe's back as he flew down on the pavement.

"Fuck me?!" Billy yelled grabbing him by his shirt pulling him off the pavement. "You gonna say that shit to me? Huh? Who's been protecting your ass all these years? Huh Joey?"

"Get off of me!" Joe yelled stumbling backwards. When he looked up at Billy as he took steps toward him, he regretted ever telling him that. "Don't hit me-" Before Joe could get the rest of his sentence out, Billy's fist popped him so hard, he hit the pavement. Billy was on him now, throwing punches as Bodie and Baggy grabbed him, pulling him off of him.

"Chill!" Baggy yelled.

"Get off of me!" Billy yelled going back towards Joe as he scrambled again to get on his feet. Heco, Tommy, and Dog were outside now, running to help break up the fight. Through the commotion, no one noticed the black SUV creeping down the street. While Tommy helped Joe to his feet, they didn't see the windows roll down. Or the two men on the passenger side sticking their guns out. Bodie shoved Billy hard, getting him away from Joe. That's when Billy looked up, his mouth dropped as he tried to yell out at Joe who's back was to the SUV. _Pop! Pop! Pop! _Billy came charging as Bodie knocked him down, making him take cover.

"See you girls tomorrow!" Big Mike yelled across the parking lot as Celes and Evie got into Celes's truck. They waved goodbye, getting into the truck, and heading to Joni's mom's house. Celes lit a cigarette up as Evie rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Celes warned. "You can't even start with me with what happened before."

"Me and Billy just had a nice conversation, that's all," Evie said innocently. Celes let out a huff. "I just don't want you to get hurt is all."

"I know you don't Evie, but he's not-"

"A psychotic drug dealing killer?" Evie quipped in. Celes sighed as Evie mumbled out a sorry. It was always going to be an ongoing battle between the two, and Celes knew it. She just wished that Evie could see what he saw in him. There was something there and she knew it. Celes pulled up in the driveway, getting out of the truck. She went to the door and knocked on it. She was hoping Savannah was already asleep. Joni's mom open the door, and stepped aside to let her in.

"She's in the back room," she said smiling. "Already asleep." Celes started down the hallway then jumped back when Joni came flying out of the room.

"Hey," she said cheerfully. "Sorry I've got to go pick up Joe. He's going to be pissed, I'm already late." The phone rang as Celes could hear Joni's mom's voice in the living room. Celes was about to say something else to Joni when her mother came rushing down the hall, the phone in hand.

"Girls," she said with a concern look on her face. "Joni, honey there's a man on the phone...and..." Joni grabbed it, rolling her eyes, knowing it was probably Joe. Celes stared at Joni as her face turned white, tears burning in her eyes.

"Joni," Celes started to say as the phone hit the hallway floor. "Joni, what's wrong?"

"It's...they've...they've been shot!" Joni choked out.

"Who's been shot?" Celes asked quickly, her hands on Joni now. "Joni, who's been shot?"

"Joe...and...and..." she tried to say as she started to sob. "Baggy said they're in the emergency room..we've..." She couldn't finish her sentence as her mom grabbed her as Joni cried out.

"What about Billy?" Celes asked quickly. Joni turned around nodding her head as Celes's face dropped. "C'mon we've got to get to the hospital."


	8. Untitled

1

**Author's Note: **Thank you so so so much for the reviews guys! Seriously, you rock! I was having some problems with this chapter, so a big thank you to Cheryl and if you haven't checked out her story yet, you should. **/u/1500544/MrsHedlund**Hope you like the chapter. Loved it? Hated it? Comments? Don't forget to leave a review :)

**Chapter 8: Untitled**

Celes squeezed her eyes shut, her fingers tapping on the side of the plastic chair as she took deep breaths. She hated hospitals. She hated them more than she probably hated Luke. She almost didn't even have Savannah in one because of it. She argued with Keaton, Savannah's father, for almost an hour before he finally got her into the car. Her hands started to get sweaty as she glanced around the waiting room. There was an older man sitting with a girl who had to be about thirteen. The girl looked around, blowing hair out of her face, obviously bored. She closed her eyes tight again, remembering that age. She was just like that girl, sitting around in a waiting room, but she wasn't bored. She remembered picking at the plastic on her shoe laces as her Grams mumbled a prayer under her breath. They had waited for what seemed like hours for the doctor to announce that her mother was dead. Celes already knew it when she came home from school that day. She could still remember the smell of lilacs in the front yard when she got off the bus. She still remembered the dead silence as she walked down the hallway to her mother's bedroom. And she still could see her mother's face, so peaceful, as she laid there. At first she had thought she was sleeping, but that's when she saw the needle.

"Celes," Evie's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you okay?" Celes ran her hands through her hair. "Do you want some water or something?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. Evie knew why she hated hospitals. "Where is Joni at?"

"She went to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Celes nodded her head, closing her eyes again. Besides Savannah's birth, she had never walked out of a hospital without losing someone. Panic started to set in again, as Baggy reached over, rubbing her back. She didn't look up at him, just stared down at her shoes. Evie came back with a bottle of water, nudging her head to Baggy to scoot over.

"I'm going to go see if I can find some shit out," Baggy said standing up. He moved out of the way so Evie could sit down next to Celes. They sat in silence as Heco and Spink walked into the room. Evie noticed that the nurse at the front desk was starting to eye them suspiciously. She couldn't blame the lady. She'd be freaked out too. She also noticed that two security guards kept walking back and forth in the halls. She was sure they were the reason. Joni came into the waiting room, her arms crossed, her face pale. Her eyes were red and poofy, as she slumped down in a chair. They had been in the waiting room for forty minutes now, and no one could tell them anything. There had been a bus accident around the time that the guys came to the hospital. All that Baggy could tell them was that Billy, Joe, Bodie, and Tommy had all been shot.

"Why aren't they telling us anything?" Joni mumbled.

"I don't know," Celes mumbled back taking in a deep breath. Suddenly Baggy came back into the room.

"Joe's in surgery, they're trying to get the bullet out," Baggy announced. "Tommy, Bodie, and Billy are getting bandaged up."

"So they're okay?" Celes asked standing up. "Billy's okay? He's going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Baggy said nodding. "Yeah, the bullet was a through in through." Celes let out a huge sigh of relief sitting back down in the chair. She brushed away a few tears that were forming in her eyes. He was going to be okay. For once, she was going to walk out of this hospital, and not loose someone.

"Do they know who did this?" Evie asked.

"It was those mother fuckers from 8th street, I know it," Heco said harshly.

"What is he talking about?" Celes asked confused. Baggy eyed Heco, giving him a warning to shut his mouth.

"Nothing," Baggy mumbled.

"Why were they fighting?" she asked.

"Who knows," Baggy said shrugging. "Joe did something to piss Billy off." Joni crossed her arms over her chest, her face growing more pale. Celes eyed her, she knew that Joni had an idea of what the fight was over. She had overheard Baggy mention something about it earlier, and Joni could never hide her first reactions. She wanted to ask Joni, but knew right now would not be the best time to push the issue.

"I need to get some fresh air," Celes said. She was still feeling hot from trying to fight off the panic attack. "I'll be back."

"I'll go with you," Baggy said. "I need a cigarette." They both stood up as Evie slid over, wrapping an arm around Joni. They had walked out into the main hallway when Baggy heard his name being called out. Celes turned around to see Billy walking down the hallway. His gray shirt was covered in dark splotches, she knew it had to be blood. His sleeve was pulled up on his shoulder, a bandage covering his arm. He was rubbing his eyes with one hand, then looked up seeing Celes standing next to Baggy. His eyes narrowed and he sucked in a deep breath. He stopped a few feet in front of them, glancing into the waiting room, spotting Joni and Evie.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Billy asked Baggy in a stern voice. He wouldn't look at Celes as she stared at him in shock.

"I thought Joni should know man," Baggy said taking a few steps back.

"I think I'm going to be sick again," Joni mumbled as she took off running in the direction of the bathroom. Evie squeezed Celes's arm as she went down the hallway after her. She hardly even realized that the girls were gone as she still stared at Billy. She couldn't believe him. He was angry that she was there. He glanced at her, seeing the confusion on her face, but turned back to Baggy.

"You shouldn't have called them," he said sternly. "Go in there and see how much longer Bodie's shit is going to take." Baggy walked off quickly, obeying Billy, knowing that he had pissed him off. The rest of the guys didn't look his way, as his back was still towards Celes. She reached out, tugging on his arm, but he shrugged off her grasp. "You need to go home. Get your girls and go home."

"What is your problem?" she snapped. He didn't say anything to her as he leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.

"It's not safe," he stated with his eyes still narrowed. "You shouldn't fucking be here." Celes could feel the tears stinging her eyes. She wanted to hit him, yell at him, and kiss him all at the same time. His eyes darted off of hers as he looked past her.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled. He placed his hand on her arm, pulling her in the direction of the waiting room. "Go sit down." Her feet stumbled on the floor, she almost tripped over herself, as Billy shoved her towards the sitting area.

"What the fuck is going on!" she heard someone shout as she looked over to see Bones walking down the hallway. His hands were up in the air, a pissed off look on his face. Billy eyed her again, a demanding look on his face, as she quickly sat down next to Heco.

"Shit," Heco mumbled seeing Bones walking towards Billy. Celes pulled her jacket tight around her chest as Billy glanced one more time at her.

"What did you dip shits fuck up tonight?" Bones asked his hands shoving hard against Billy's chest. Billy stumbled backwards, trying to get his balance back. "Huh? I'm getting phone calls that there's no one on any of the corners I gave you. Then I find out, that everyone has decided to have a fucking pow wow at the hospital."

"There was a shooting," Billy said in a low voice. Bones grabbed his arm as Billy winced in pain. He ripped the bandage off, staring down at the circle on Billy's arm.

"Such a pussy," he spat shoving Billy's arm back. "So because you and your gang of fuckin' half wits get shot at, you got to fuck with _my_ buisness?" Billy didn't say anything as Bones grabbed him by the shirt. "Get you and your boys back to work and get me my money." He shoved Billy back again, staring at him. "Fucking worthless." Celes looked over at the two security guards standing in the hallway. They looked more scared then she did.

"Joe's in surgery right now," Billy called out. "He's still alive, if you care to know!" Bones turned around, taking in a deep breath.

"Yeah," he shouted back. "But for how fucking long?" Billy didn't say anything as Bones shook his head, walking back out the doors. He took in a quick breath, his neck turning red, as the color crept to his face. Celes had never seen him this angry before. He turned around looking at the rest of the guys.

"Spink, get your ass down there," Billy spat. "And the rest of you, find out who fuckin' did this. I want to catch the assholes tonight." The guys jump to their feet like he was a drill sargent. Celes didn't know whether to sit or take off out the door. Joni and Evie were approaching the waiting room now, as Evie stared hard at Celes. The look on her friend's face frighten her.

"Darley," someone said loudly. Billy turned around to see a doctor approaching him. "Family of Joe Darley?"

"I'm his brother," Billy said. The doctor stared at him for a moment as Joni stood next to Billy.

"He's out of surgery," the doctor said. "We got the bullet out, but he was lucky. If it had been a few inches over, it would have pierced his heart. You'll be able to see him in a little bit. They're prepping a room for him right now. We want to keep him over night, but he'll be able to leave tomorrow. You can see him in a minute." Billy nodded his head as Joni turned around hugging Evie. "There are a couple of officers that will be up in a minute to get a statement from you." The doctor waited for Billy to say something, but he didn't. He looked over seeing the bandage had been removed from Billy's arm. "We need to get that covered up, let me go find a nurse." The doctor brushed past Baggy and Bodie as they walked down the hallway. Bodie was walking slow, holding his side.

"How's Joe?" Bodie called out.

"Alive," Billy said then looked over at Joni. "But we've got some shit to take care of." Bodie nodded his head. "Where's Tommy?"

"He's still in there," Baggy said. "His ass will be in crutches or something for a while. His leg is all fucked up." Celes came out of the waiting room, standing next to Evie and Joni.

"Are you staying?" Evie asked her. Billy turned around hearing what Evie said.

"No," he said sternly. "Get your asses home. You shouldn't have fuckin' came here in the first place."

"Excuse me?" Evie said snapping her head back around. "I wasn't speaking to you." Celes pushed herself in front of Evie.

"Will you two just stop?" Celes almost screamed. Evie mumbled an apology knowing that Celes was already frazzled enough. She wouldn't let it show though. She never did. The fact that she was even in the hospital should have been enough for Billy. But it was obvious to Evie now, that Billy didn't know her. "Please."

"I'm staying," Joni stated. "I'm not going any where." Her arms were covering her chest, tears still rolling down her eyes.

"Fine," Billy spat. "We're leaving." Bodie and Baggy walked past the girls, not wanting to challenge Billy's words.

"Come on," Evie said to Joni. "Let's get something to drink while we wait." Evie gave Celes a sympathetic look as they walked off. Celes stared at Billy now, anger rising in her.

"What?" he snapped.

"_What?_" she asked staring blankly at him. "You're asking me _what_?"

"I don't have time for this shit," he said walking off. The doors slide open in front of him as Celes quickly went after him. He was digging in his coat for a cigarette when he felt her grab his arm.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"I told you, I had shit to do," he said placing the cigarette in his mouth.

"Joe is lying there in a hospital bed and you've got shit to do?" she was challenging him now. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, glaring at her. "What is more important then seeing him? He's your brother!"

"I want to find out who did this!" Billy yelled back. He took a step back, shoving the cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. "This is why I didn't want you here."

"I'm so sorry I actually gave a damn if you were alive or not," she snapped. She tried to brush past him, wanting to leave. But he grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him.

"I'm trying to protect you," he hissed in her ear. She tried to get her arm out of his grip, but it wouldn't work.

"From what?" she asked still looking out at the parking lot. He didn't answer her, and she turned her head, their faces only inches away from one another. "You're going to go after them instead of staying here with your brother? That's pathetic."

"And what do you fucking know about this life?" he demanded. "You think just because you crawl in my bed, you know something?" She shoved him hard with her free hand, breaking away from his grip.

"Fine. Go make yourself feel better and get your little revenge. Because it's obvious that you don't care about anything or anybody else!" She walked away quickly, not turning back as he watched her trot up the steps to the doors. Evie was at the door trying to find out what was wrong, when Celes brushed past her, mumbling under her breath. She looked out the door to see Billy standing down by the steps, her eyes narrowed as she stormed out the doors.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Evie shouted running down the steps. Billy turned around, walking towards his car, he wasn't in the mood to hear her. "Hey asshole, I'm talking to you!" She was only a step away from him when he abruptly turned around sending her crashing into his chest. He didn't budge as she stumbled back, cursing under her breath.

"What the fuck do you want?" Billy growled.

"Do you know how hard it was for her to even just walk in there?" Evie asked ignoring the fact that Billy looked like he was about to rip her head off. "She thought you were dead and you _yell_ at her?"

"She didn't loose anyone," Billy stated.

"Oh really?" Evie challenged. "Because by that look on her face, she _did_. Congratulations Darley, you probably just lost the only girl that will ever give a shit if you're still breathing!" Evie turned around, leaving him standing there as thunder rolled across the sky. She hated Billy, but she hated seeing Celes that upset. She was hoping she had made her point clear to his thick head.

Billy got into his car, slamming the door as hard as he could as Bodie looked over at him. Billy stared straight ahead, his breathing quick.

"Let's get these mother fuckers," Billy said staring up the engine.

"Heco says it's those assholes from 8th street," Baggy added.

"Then let's go to 8th street," he said squealing his tires out in the parking lot. The car lurched forward as Bodie grabbed his side. He could tell by the crazy look on Billy's face that this wasn't going to be a pretty night.

The girls stayed in the hospital until they were able to go visit Joe. He smiled at them, going in and out of the conversation due to all the morphine they had him on.

"Where's Billy?" he mumbled.

"Bones showed up," Joni said eyeing Celes and Evie. "He made them go back to work." He nodded his head, closing his eyes shut. Joni didn't want to tell him that his brother didn't care to stick around to see him. Not after what had just happened to him. She knew the fight was her fault, she should have never suggested stealing the money. She thought she would be able to put it back in after one night at the club. Joe thought Billy would never notice, and if he hadn't stolen the money, he wouldn't be lying in the hospital bed.

"They're okay though?" Joe asked his voice weak. "Everyone is okay?"

"Yeah baby," Joni said crawling in the bed with him. He wrapped an arm around her, as she buried her face in his chest. "Everyone's fine." Evie nudged at Celes, knowing it was their cue to leave.

It was almost midnight when Celes arrived back at her house with Evie. It had started pouring down rain as soon as Celes had gotten back into the hospital. Joni had called her mother to tell her that Joe was going to be okay. She had offered to keep Savannah for the night, so Celes didn't have to get her out in the storm. She would just drop her off in the morning before she ran a few errands. Celes was thankful, the only thing she wanted to do was go in her room, and bury her head under her covers. The girls both jumped out of the car, the rain beating down on them as they ran up to the porch. When they hit the front door, they were both soaked.

"Holy shit," Evie muttered, her hands were shaky as she jabbed the key into the lock. "I am freezing!"

"No kidding," Celes said as she followed Evie inside the house. "I'm going to light some candles, just in case the electricity goes out."

"Sounds good," Evie said opening her bedroom door. "I'm going to crash, night!" Celes told her goodnight as she lit a candle in the living room. She was starting to shiver as she walked down the hallway to her room. She peeled off her clothes, tossing them in the hamper as she pulled on a pair of black shorts and a black tank top. She crawled under the covers, letting out a sigh as she lit a candle on her night stand.

"What the hell was I thinking?" she mumbled laying her head down on her pillows. She pulled the covers over tightly over her. She wasn't going to let him get to her, not like this.

"You sure Heco said it was these pricks?" Bodie asked as they approached the apartment building of one of the boys that ran things down on 8th street. They had just the left the hospital, Billy's heart still racing. He wanted to get these guys.

"That's what he said," Baggy replied.

"Was he high?" Billy asked irritated. Before Baggy could answer, Billy saw a guy step out of the building. He was a shorter guy, with short red hair, and a mole by his eye. Billy recognized him, it was Ollie, the leader of the pack. The boys that ran things on 8th street weren't really anything compared to Billy's gang. They mainly helped run things for other people. Most people referred to them as massagers. "I guess we'll fucking find out now." Billy ripped the door open as Bodie cursed under his breath. He wanted to get these guys too, but he knew at the moment, there wasn't enough of them. His side throbbed as he got out of the car, Baggy right behind him.

"Hey Ollie!" Billy shouted a gun already raised. Ollie turned around, his eyes wide as Billy shoved his gun right in his face. Ollie's hands flew up, a cigarette dropping out of his hand.

"What the fuck Billy!?" he shouted. Baggy and Bodie both pulled out their guns, Bodie winced from the fast movement. "What the fuck are you doing man?"

"Someone told me you and your boys came by Four Roses tonight," Billy said his eyes wild.

"What?" Ollie said trying to back away from his gun. "No way. No fucking way would my boys do that. We heard about that shit man."

"So you didn't fucking do it?" Baggy demanded.

"Hell no," Ollie yelled. "You think I'm _that_ fucking crazy?" Billy still stared at him sternly, knowing that Ollie hadn't done it. He was right, he wasn't that crazy, but something told him that Ollie might know who did. "C'mon man!"

"You believe him Bodie?" Billy asked still staring at Ollie. "You think we got our information wrong?"

"I dunno," Bodie replied catching onto what Billy was doing. "I've got a real fuckin' reliable source."

"Shit," Ollie spat knowing he wasn't going to be able to walk away from this. "I might know something."

"Then you better start talking," Billy sternly said.

"Bones pissed off some boys at Stokely Hall," Ollie replied wanting to kick himself for even telling them what he knew. But he had known Billy Darley for a long time, and knew that crazy look in his eye. Billy would have no problem blowing his head off right here. " Tonight was a warning."

"A warning?" Billy demanded. "My brother is in a fucking hospital bed and they want that as _their_ warning?"

"Don't you run around with some of those pricks?" Bodie asked staring hard at Ollie. Bodie stared at him, there was something about Ollie they were forgetting. Something that he had heard a few months back. Then it clicked. "Your cousin...what's his name...Marcus...Marcus runs that shit. You just nickle and dime after his ass." Ollie didn't say anything as Billy stared at him. The crazy glint grew back in his eyes as he let out a grunt.

"Marcus is taking shots at me?" Billy stated. "_Your_ family is coming out at me?" Ollie didn't say anything as Billy pointed the gun down.

Billy said raising the gun and pulling the trigger. Ollie let out a scream as the bullet struck his foot. He flew backwards, cursing, as Billy raised the gun, taking another shot. The bullet ripped through his leg as Ollie sat up, holding his leg.

"Mother fucker!" he screamed. Billy bent down, the gun pressed against Ollie's face.

"You tell your fuckin' cousin that's _his_ warning," he hissed.

Billy sat in his car outside her house, staring straight ahead. He didn't know what he was doing. After he had dropped off Baggy and Bodie, he went back by the hospital. Visiting hours were over, but the nurse didn't have any objection when Billy walked past her. He went into Joe's room, quietly closing the door behind him. There was a dim light over the bed, and he could see Joni in the bed with him. He didn't want to wake him up now. Not with Joni laying next to him. After he left the hospital, he started driving around, trying to make himself tired. The only thing he could do was think about her. The way she stared at him when he yelled at her. Shooting Ollie didn't make him feel any better with his arm throbbing. It was pouring down rain now, as he got out of his car. He wiped his face, trying to decide whether or not to even knock on the door. It was two in morning, and she was probably sleeping. No one had ever challenged her like him. It made him think twice of what he was about to do. The thing that irritated him the most was that Evie had been right. He finally extended his arm, knocking on the door. A few moments passed, and nothing. He knocked harder now, the sound echoing through the house.

Celes sat up in her bed, looking around the room. The candle was still lit by her night stand, light danced on her walls. She rubbed her eyes, letting out a yawn. What had woken her? Then she heard, a loud thudding noise coming from the living room. She threw the covers off of her, taking quick steps out of her room. She quietly walked into the living room, the knocking on the door continued as she peeked out the window. She couldn't see who was at the door because of how dark it was. But out on the road, under the street light, she saw his car. Her mouth dropped as she lost her balance, her feet stumbling underneath her.

Billy heard a stumble and quit knocking, dropping his arm by his side. There was no awning over the front door, as the rain became more heavy now. Celes took a deep breath, placing her hand on the door knob. She wanted to open it, but a gut feeling stopped her. What was the point? Let him come back in her life? Her hand dropped as she crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't do this. She turned around about to head back to her room when she heard him.

"Celes," Billy called out. "Celes...just open the damn door." She stopped, her heart racing. As he started knocking again. "Please Celes." She turned around, her hand back on the door knob, taking a deep breath as she opened it. She didn't look up at him at first, her arms crossed back over her chest. He cleared his throat, making her head raise up. He was staring at her. His eyes blank. His clothes were soaked, and his shirt was stuck to him, exposing his muscles. There was something different about him as he stood there, something more vulnerable.

"Celes?" Evie's voice broke through making Celes turned her head. Evie wrapped her bath robe around her, walking towards the door. "Who the-" She stopped in her tracks seeing Billy standing outside. "Are you kidding me? What the hell is he doing here?" Celes shook her head, not knowing what to say. "You need to leave." Evie had her hand on her hip now, glaring at Billy.

"Evie," Celes said quickly. "Let me handle this...okay?" Evie looked back at Celes. She was use to stepping in for her, but the look on her face told her to back off. "Please." Evie let out a huff, walking back into her room, the door slamming shut behind her. Celes looked back at Billy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. He went to respond to her when she looked down at this arm. His sleeve was covering the gun shot wound, but it was soaked in blood. Celes quickly reached out, carefully pulling up his sleeve. "You're bleeding." Her hand went down his arm, her fingers wrapping around his wrist. "Let me put a bandage on it." She still held onto his wrist, taking a few steps back. He walked into the room, water dripping off of him, as she led him into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her as he sat down on the side of the bathtub. He watched her as she brushed a few curls out of her face, grabbing a first aid kit out of the cabinet. She placed the kit on the counter and reached over grabbing a towel. She handed it over to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled wiping his face off with it. She looked back down at the counter, getting out some of the supplies. He watched her carefully unwrap everything, her hands shaking. He knew she wanted him to say something. But all he could do was stare at her. The shorts and top she wore were clinging to her, exposing her figure.

"You're shaking," Billy finally said pointing at her hands. She glanced at him and then back down at her hands. She put down the lid to the toilet and sat on top of it, putting the kit on her lap. She pulled up his sleeve, exposing the wound. She grabbed an alcohol pad, gently wiping the wound. He didn't flinch as her hands started to shake more. Staring at it now, she realized how close he had actually came to dying. The bullet could have gone through any where on him, he was lucky it was just his arm. He reached up, touching her cheek. She didn't even realize that tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Stop," she said brushing away his hand. She went back to cleaning the wound, reaching into the kit, pulling out gauze. He reached up again to brush her face, and she stared at him, annoyed. She was still angry with him. The way he had treated her at the hospital. She didn't even know why she was helping him. "Billy," she said in a warning tone. But he didn't, pulling her close to him, his lips brushing against hers. She shoved him back now, the kit sliding off of her lap.

"What?" he asked in a harsh voice. He wasn't use to girls pushing him away. "I'm here." She stared at him confused.

"Just because you show up, doesn't make everything okay," she stated. A crash of thunder rippled through, making the house shake. Celes jumped at the sound, as Billy got on his feet.

"Then I'll leave," he said pushing his sleeve down. She watched him walk out of the bathroom, and went after him. He was already down the hallway, near her bedroom when he stopped, hearing her coming up behind him.

"You can't just leave every time something doesn't go your way," she said. "Do you really expect me to just-"

"What the fuck do you want from me then?" he demanded. She was only inches away from him now. His eyes were piercing through her, as she brushed another tear away. "Huh?" The lights started to flicker above them, thundering crackling, making the house shake again. Celes jumped again, moving closer to Billy. A loud _pop_ noise echoed through the house, the lights suddenly going out. Not even realizing it, she quickly clung to Billy. Darkness was another one of her fears. Evie's bedroom door flew up, a bright light shining out of it. Billy and Celes both squinted their eyes, blocking their faces with their hands.

"Oh," Evie said pushing the light down a little. "_You're_ still here?"

"I'm leaving," he mumbled gently pushing Celes away from him.

"No," Celes stated quickly. She didn't want him to leave. He was quick tempered, irrational, and held every quality that Celes didn't like in a man. For some reason, she couldn't get enough of him. "You should just stay, with the storm and everything."

"Um...excuse me?" Evie said waving the flashlight. Celes ignored her, grabbing Billy's hand and pulling him into her room. He didn't object as she stuck her head out the door.

"Just this one time," she whispered to Evie who let out a huff. "I promise." She didn't wait for Evie to respond as she shut her bedroom door. Billy stood in the middle of her room, his clothes still soaked as she approached him. The candle was the only light in her room, making him look more dangerous than he already did.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she walked up to him.

"That's a good question," she replied pulling off his soaked shirt. She reached down, unbuttoning his jeans as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. His nose was touching hers as he stared down at her.

"Why the hell are you with me?" he asked staring at her with questioning eyes.

"Because," she said feeling the tightness of his arms. "You make me feel safe." He grunted a little, almost amused at her answer. How anyone like him could make her feel safe was beyond him. She wanted to ask him the same thing. Why a leader of a gang would want anything to do with her. A girl who was in fact too innocent, but she didn't get the chance as he kissed her. He picked her up, his mouth still on hers, laying her down on her bed. He pulled off her shorts with one hand, still keeping her tightly wrapped in one of his arms. His kisses grew deeper now, a moan escaping her mouth. She didn't care anymore about what was rational. All she cared about was him.


	9. Questions

1I'm so sorry, I know I'm slacking on the updates, crazy computer problems this past week. But anywho, it's finally up and really long to make up for not updating! I hope you enjoy it, it's a little bit of a filler, but I still have a few ideas that I'm running with. I love to hear what you think so don't forget to leave a review. And a little special thanks to Mrs.Hedlund (check out her story: An Unexpected Friend) for giving me ideas for this chapter and lightining8star for giving me a little push to get it done!

**Chapter Nine: Questions**

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. _Billy shifted a little, ignoring the annoying sound that was trying to wake him. _Crunch. Crunch. Slurp. _He still had his shirt off as he turned to his side, letting out a groan. _Crunch. _His eyes slowly opened to see Savannah sitting only a foot away from him. She was wearing bright pink pajamas with little hearts all over them. Her brown curly hair was pulled up in a pony tail on top of her head. Her eyes were questioning him, as she slurped the milk off of her spoon. He pushed himself up, leaning his back against the headboard.

"Are you sick?" Savannah asked setting the bowl between her legs.

"No," Billy grumbled. He let out a yawn and ran his hand over his head.

"When I'm sick," Savannah said. "Mommy lets me sleep in bed with her. So why are you in mommy's bed?" Billy opened his mouth and closed it, trying to think of something to tell her. Her head shifted a little, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked reaching over and pointed her finger only inches away from Billy's bandage. He put his hand over it, and shook his head.

"It's nothing kid," he said. Savannah stared at him for a moment, and he hoped that she wouldn't press the issue. He was use to playing twenty questions with her. It was like she wanted to know anything and everything she could get out of you. "What are you doing in here?"

"Do you_ love_ my mommy?" She asked ignoring his question.

"Where's your mother at?"

"Are you," Savannah tilted her head to the side and crinkled her nose. " . . . naked?"

"_Celes_!" Billy shouted, making Savannah jump. Billy could hear footsteps approaching the door as the door flew open. Celes stood there, a little smirk on her face. She was already dressed, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a light pink baby doll shirt.

"You're still not dressed?" she asked. Billy glanced at her with a confused look, then realized she was talking to Savannah. "If you want to go to the park, you better get dressed." Savannah let out a huff and crawled across Billy. She raced out of the room, her feet making quick thuds against the hallway floor. "Sorry," Celes said giving him a smile. She walked over to the bed, reaching over him to grab Savannah's cereal bowl that she had left behind. A smirk grew across his face as he quickly grabbed her by the waist, pulling her on his lap. He pulled her close to him, giving her a deep kiss. A giggle escaped her lips as she pulled away from him.

"Aww," Billy said in a hurtful voice, showing a sly grin. "Come on now, I'm injured here." Celes rolled her eyes as he kissed her again.

"Don't you think you're milking this?" Celes asked. He moved his hands to the top her pants, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well," he said undoing the button on her jeans. "If I really wanted to-"

"Mommy?" Savannah asked staring at them with a curious look on her face. Celes broke away from Billy, quickly fastening the button on her jeans. She jumped off his lap, smoothing out her shirt as she looked at her daughter. Savannah still had on her pajama bottoms with a backwards purple shirt. The tag stuck out from under her chin. "I can't find any clothes, can you help me?"

"Yeah," Celes said, giving Billy a look as he grinned at her. She grabbed Savannah's hand and walked out of the bedroom.

"Did Billy stay the night?" Savannah asked. Celes could feel her face getting red. She didn't want to lie to her daughter, but she also didn't want her daughter to get her hopes up. Savannah had the tendency to cling to people she had just met.

"Do you want to a snow cone at the park?" Celes asked trying to change the subject.

"Yes!" Savannah exclaimed already forgetting her own question. Celes walked into her daughter's room, letting out a groan. Savannah had been in her room for less than three minutes, and managed to already trash it. Clothes and toys were scattered every where.

"Savannah," Celes said using her warning tone.

"What?" Savannah asked innocently. "Aunt Evie's room looks like this, and she doesn't have to clean it."

"Well Aunt Evie pays the bills, so she can have a trashed room." Savannah walked over to her dresser, standing on a foot stool, and grabbed her piggy bank.

"If I paid bills, can I keep it like this?" she asked her mother in a serious tone. Celes had to cover her mouth from letting her laughter escape.

"How about you just leave the bills to us? Save your money."

"Can I still keep my room messy?"

"No," Celes said sternly pulling some clothes out of her dresser. "Now get dress before it gets too late to go." Savannah nodded her head as Celes headed back to her room, stopping when she heard a knock on her door. _"Who could be that?" she asked herself_. She headed to the living room seeing Evie halfway standing up from the couch.

"Got it," Celes said opening the front door. Bodie and Baggy where standing on the other side as Celes stared at them with a look of shock on her face. "Um..."

"Is Billy here?" Bodie asked ignoring the look on her face.

"Yeah," Celes said stepping out of the way so they could come in. Evie's eyes popped as she watched Bodie and Baggy walk into her house. She was sitting indian style on the couch, flipping through the latest issue of US Weekly. Baggy smiled at her widely as she glared at him. He didn't bother noticing as he plopped down next to her, throwing his feet up on the coffee table. _Thawk! _ Evie slapped his legs as hard as she could with the magazine.

"Get your _damn_ feet off my coffee table!" she shouted. "What's the matter with you?"

"Yeah dog," Bodie said sitting down in the recliner across from them. "Have some respect for the girl." Baggy grumbled something as he put his feet down the coffee table. Evie stared at Bodie for a moment as he smirked at her. She shook her head, going back to her magazine.

Celes opened up her bedroom door as Billy pulled his shirt over his head. He had his back turned to her, as he leaned over looking down at a framed picture she had on her dresser. He picked it up, a smile spreading across his face. The picture was of Celes and Savannah. It had to be more of a recent one, because Savannah looked about the same age. They were sitting in the grass, probably someone's front yard wearing no shoes. Celes's hair was down, her curls flowing over her face. She was smiling over at Savannah who was in arm's reach. Savannah's hair was pulled up in two pigtails as she blew bubbles. The look in her eyes was pure joy.

"You've got company," she said gazing at him. He quickly put the picture back down on the desk, turning around to look at her.

"Who?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

"Baggy and Bodie," Celes said wrapping her arms around him. He leaned down giving her a kiss.

"What the hell do they want?" he asked.

"Well I don't think they're here for me," Celes said giving him another kiss. She pulled back, glancing down at his shirt. It had been hanging on a chair the whole night, and was completely dry this morning. The bloodstains were now more visible, giving Celes a chill.

"It's okay," Billy whispered in her ear.

"No," Celes said shaking her head. It was easier to just forget of what was said and what possibly happened last night. She couldn't shake the way Billy's eyes had cut through her. The anger that grew on his face, and what she knew he was capable of doing. She had to remember that he did show up. That fact alone, told her that somewhere, somehow, he did care.

"Don't worry," Billy said gazing down at her.

"Easy for you to say," she grumbled. He let out a huff, placing his chin on top of her head. "What did you do after you left the hospital?" She didn't want to ask. Hell, she didn't even want to know. But the new her, the her that she was trying to become, couldn't live blind. Not anymore.

"Celes," Billy said, his voice telling her to back off. "Don't ask me shit like that." She pushed away from him, but he quickly pulled her back in. His arms wrapping tightly around her. "Just..." He fumbled with his words, getting frustrated. "You can't ask me fuckin' questions like that." Her heart began to race against his chest. He ran his hand over her hair, cupping the back of her neck. "You won't be safe if you ask questions."

"I don't need a hero Billy," Celes said quickly.

"No," he replied taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes, leaning down and kissed her forehead. "But _I_ need you to be safe." Celes shut her eyes, there it was. The only answer she would possibly ever get out of him. He needed her. "I'm going to go see what they want." She nodded her head, not really wanting him to let her go. He broke away, heading out of her bedroom and into the living room.

"What's going on?" Billy asked staring at the guys.

"Found out some more information about those Stokely pricks. They-" Baggy started to say then quit when he saw the look on Billy's face. His jaw started to clench as Evie eyed him suspiciously. Celes was behind him now, looking confused as she sat down on the couch, putting her shoes on.

"We'll talk about it later," Billy said, trying to ignore the look on Celes's face.

"Sounds great," Evie said with a smirk. "And preferably _not_ here."

"You don't enjoy my company?" Baggy asked winking at her. Evie let out a groan, throwing the magazine up to block his view.

"No one enjoys your company," Bodie said giving Evie a wink. She just stared at him, her eyebrows raised, trying to figure out if he was trying to flirt with her or not.

"I can take a hint you know," Baggy said in a pissy voice.

"Well then take one," Evie snipped. Celes had to cover her mouth to hide the fact she was about to die laughing.

"We're out of here," Baggy said jumping to his feet.

"Yeah," Billy said. "I'll catch up with you guys in a bit." Baggy and Bodie walked towards the door as Bodie turned back around, glancing over at Evie.

"Hey you should stop by the bar again," Bodie said.

"If you're lucky," Evie said rolling her eyes.

"I'm hoping that I am," Bodie said giving her a grin. Celes watched as Evie's face turned a little red. She threw the magazine up over her face as Bodie let out a laugh, walking out the door.

"So Evie," Celes said trying to hide her smile.

"Shut up," Evie warned getting to her feet. She walked past Billy, lightly smacking him with her magazine.

"What the fuck was that for?" he asked.

"For bringing your scuzy ass friends to my house!" she shouted as she rounded the corner of the hallway. "This isn't gang banger central!" Billy went to yell something back when he felt Celes's hands on his chest.

"Ignore her," she said.

"Gladly," Billy said giving her a kiss.

"Eww!" Savannah yelled from behind them. Celes let out a laugh as Billy turned around. "Will you help me find my cape?"

"Sure," Celes said dropping her hands from him.

"Not you," Savannah said. "I want Billy to help me." Billy let out a grunt and shrugged his shoulders. He followed Savannah in her room as ducked under her bed, throwing papers and stuff animals out. One flew up, smacking Billy in the knee.

"Hey kid," he said kicking the stuff animal. "Watch it."

"Sorry!" she called out. He picked up a couple of books off the floor and putting them back on a small bookcase. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed something sticking out from the back of the bookcase. He lightly tugged on it, realizing it was her cape.

"Got it," Billy said pulling the cape out. He heard a loud smack and turned his head to see Savannah crawling out backwards, rubbing her head. She looked up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek, as she sucked in a deep breath. He walked over and scooped her off the floor, wiping away her tear.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she choked out, her lower lip quivering. He ran his hand lightly over the back of her head, feeling a tiny knot. He placed her down on her bed and shook the cape out.

"You know," he said throwing the cape around her back. He pulled up the two strings and started to tie it around her neck. "Once this cape is on, it's not going to hurt anymore."

"Really?" Savannah asked her eyes wide.

"Well this cape belongs to a super hero. And super heros don't get hurt." He finished tying the cape around her neck and dropped his hands. "Feel better?" Savannah stared at him for a second and bit back her lip.

"I think so," she finally said. "Thanks Billy."

"No problem kid," he said picking her off the bed and walking out of her room. They walked into the living room as Celes stood by the door, her purse in her hand.

"You find it?" she asked smiling at Billy as he held Savannah.

"Billy found it," Savannah said cheerfully. "Can he come to the park with us mommy?"

"Well..." Celes's voice trailed off not knowing what to tell her. She couldn't exactly see Billy at the park pushing her daughter on a swing.

"I've got stuff I have to do kid," he said as Savannah's smile dropped. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "But how about you buy you and your mom something to eat?" Savannah snatched the bill out of his hand, her eyes popping.

"Woah mom! I'm rich!" she yelled. She wrapped her arms around Billy's neck and kissed him on the cheek. Celes couldn't help but laugh at the facial expression he made. It was a look of shock. She loved little moments like these, when his eyes grew soft around Savannah.

"Well are you ready now?" Celes asked. Savannah nodded her head as Billy followed her out the door. He put Savannah in the passenger side of the truck, and walked around, wrapping his arms around Celes.

"I'll see you later tonight, all right?" he said after kissing her.

"Be careful," she said as he let out a grunt. "I'm being serious."

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. She didn't say anything back as he gave her another kiss, then broke away. He walked over to his car, lighting up a cigarette as Celes got into her truck. He watched them as they backed out of the driveway. Savannah was waving her hand rapidly at him as he gave her a little wave back. He opened the door to his car when he saw a vehicle pulling in out of the corner of his eye. It was Joni. He slammed the door back shut as he took quick strides towards her car. She was a quick reminder that he was still seven hundred in the hole, and he knew somehow she was responsible for it. Joe had always pulled kid crap, stealing here and there. But never that much money, and never from him. He could feel his temper starting to rise as he approached her car. Joni didn't notice him, as she opened the car door a little. She glanced over to grab her purse when the door ripped out of her hands. She let out a shriek as she quickly turned around to see Billy staring down at her.

"Where's Joe?" he demanded. She grabbed her purse and got out of the car.

"He gets released in a few hours. The doctor said he needs to rest for a few days, so he'll be staying with me," she said trying to walk past him. "Like you really care," she mumbled the last sentence, but wish she wouldn't have when she felt his firm grip on her arm.

"What did you say?" Billy demanded.

"Nothing," she said not looking at him. She tried to get out of his grip, but he wouldn't let up.

"You don't think I care about my fucking brother?" He used his other hand and grabbed her chin, making her look at him. His eyes were narrowing at her, as his face started to grow red.

"If you cared about him," Joni snapped. "Then maybe he wouldn't be laying in a hospital bed with a bullet wound." Billy sniffed and exhaled loudly. Joni already regretted her words as Billy put pressure on her jaw.

"You fucking listen to me," he said now only inches away from her face. "I know you're the reason why Joe stole that money. So if you want to start pointing some fucking fingers, then you should start with yourself." Her eyes began to fill up with hot tears. She knew better than to push Billy. Joe had warned her time and time again. He was like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off on anyone or anything that hit him just right. "I want my fucking money back. So you better get in your fucking car, get my brother, and you two better fucking fix this problem. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah," Joni choked out.

"Don't ever fucking steal from me again," he hissed. He stared at her for another second then walked past her and climbed into his car. She still stood in the front yard as he drove off, her whole body shaking.

—

Joe let out a low groan as he climbed out of Joni's car. He knew that he was in the wrong from taking the money from Billy. It was a mistake, a suicidal one at that, but he couldn't erase it now. But if his brother had a problem, he needed to take it up with him, not Joni. Joe lit up a cigarette as he strolled into Four Roses. His chest hurt like hell, but he wasn't about to let any of them see that he was in pain. He wanted to be in the gang, to show that he belonged. Mainly to prove to Billy that he wasn't the same punk kid that he had always been. He was tired of standing in his brother's shadow.

"Well look who we have here," Bodie called out from across the bar. Joe nodded his head as he ordered a shot from the bar. Bodie and Spink both approached him, smacking their hands into him. "Glad to see you're alive."

"Me and you both," Joe smirked. He could feel the intense look Billy was giving him from the other side of the room. He downed his shot, slamming the glass back on the table.

"You want to play me?" Spink asked.

"You mean do I want to take your money?" Joe smarted back. Spink let out a laugh and slapped him on the back. Joe winced and shook his head.

"Nah," he said. "I'm not going to stay for long." He walked with the guys to the table as Billy lit up a cigarette and took a long drag. Joe stood in front of him as Billy exhaled the smoke in his face.

"Your girl said that you're suppose to rest," he said.

"Yeah well," Joe said. "I need to talk to you."

"You want to talk to me?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Billy asked taking another drag. "You sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah I'm sure," Joe said getting annoyed.

"All right then," Billy said standing up. "Let's fuckin' talk." They walked into a back room that Billy used once in a while. Joe shut the door and turned around to face him.

"You really scared the shit out of Joni," Joe said his voice stern.

"Good," Billy replied.

"She came to pick me up and started bawling her fucking eyes out. Why'd you have you to say that shit to her, huh?" Billy threw his cigarette on the ground smashing it with his foot. "How would you feel if I scared the shit out of Celes?" Billy's head snapped up at him.

"You wouldn't fucking do it," Billy said simply.

"Well it's bullshit. I'm not a kid anymore Billy."

"You're not a kid? How is stealing seven hundred fucking dollars not some kid shit? Huh Joey? You know what's going to fucking happen if I don't get that money to Bones? You want me to tell him that you decided to spend it on your girl?"

"You don't know anything," Joe snapped.

"You think I'm stupid?" Billy asked closing in on him. "Is the pole not paying her rent or something?" Joe shoved Billy as hard as he could with both hands, his jaw clenched. "Whoo-wee, Joey's a big boy now. You're getting some balls little brother." Billy shoved him back, twice as hard, making Joe's back slam against the door. "You expect me to trust you to run shit when you pull that? Where's the money at?"

"It's gone," Joe finally said not looking at Billy. "But I'll pay you back. You know I'll pay you back. All right?"

"No," Billy said grabbing Joe's shirt. "It's not all right. I expect this shit from them, but not you. Not from my own brother!"

"Joni's pregnant" Joe yelled. Billy's eyes popped as his hand slowly dropped from Joe's shirt. "Okay? There it is. I needed the money so she could get an abortion."

"An abortion?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, she's got an appointment tomorrow," Joe said letting out a sniff. "I just...we...we can't have a kid together, ya know?"

"She wants to do this?" Billy asked.

"Yeah and especially after yesterday it became more clear to us that we can't have a kid. Not with this lifestyle," Joe mumbled. "Which by the way, thanks for visiting asshole." Billy let out a grunt, placing his hand on his shoulder. He leaned his forehead against Joe's.

"Next time you come to me. Don't go behind my fucking back ever again," Billy said sternly to him. Joe nodded his head. "You got that?"

"Yeah," Joe said. Billy squeezed his shoulder and stepped back. "So we're cool?"

"Yeah," Billy said opening the door to head back into the bar. "Go get some rest." Joe nodded walking out behind him and headed for the front door.

"Oh hey Billy," Joe called out. "Don't tell Celes about this, all right? Joni doesn't want anyone to know." Billy nodded his head and walked back to the table. Billy sat back down at the table, downing the shot that Bodie had put in front of him.

"You good?" Bodie asked.

"Yeah," Billy said nodding his head. "I'm going to head out."

"Kind of early," Bodie said. "You're becoming a family man now." Billy pulled out a few bills throwing them down on the table. "Maybe we can find you a nice mini van with some tribal going across the side of it."

"Fuck you," Billy said shaking his head. Bodie let out a loud laugh as Billy got up from the table.

"You got it bad Darley!" Bodie called out as Billy was walking out of the bar. A grin slipped across his face as he headed out the door, still hearing Bodie laughing.

—

Celes pulled her hair up, wrapping the elastic band around it until she had a tight messy bun on her head. She smoothed out her work shirt, and walked out of Billy's bathroom, a smile still on her face from earlier. He was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed and his back against the wall. A lit cigarette was in hand as Celes reached down taking it out of his hand. His eyes opened, a grin spreading across his face.

"Hey now," he said reaching out to her. He pulled her down on his lap, her head laying on his bare shoulder. He took the cigarette out of her hand and put it out in the ash tray on his night stand. His hand grazed up her back as his fingers slid around her neck. It had been three weeks since the shooting, but every time Celes saw the wound on the side of his arm, a chill ran up her spine. Billy could feel a slight ripple as he kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore," he said already knowing what was wrong. "Don't worry about it." Since that night, Billy had started showing up more and more at her house. Evie grumbled for the first week, but after Celes finally stood her ground, she allowed Billy to be there. She was starting to get a little more friendly when Bodie would pop in now and again. None of the other guys ever showed up though, and Celes knew it was because Billy didn't want them there. The last thing he wanted was letting any of his enemies know about her.

"You always say that," she said tracing the circle on his arm.

"Because I'm hoping you'll quit," he said watching her finger go around the wound.

"Yeah," she said with a huff. "Like that's ever going to happen." Billy tilted his head down, trying to look at Celes, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. It was something that she knew she'd never get use too. Not ever really knowing what he was doing. He had made it clear to her that he had to keep her and work separate. She would hear low rumblings about Stokely Hall, but never enough to fully understand what was going on. She had read in the paper that a gang member from that area had been killed two weeks ago. But she didn't have the nerve to ask him if it was his doing. She didn't move as he slid his arms tightly around her now. "Look at me." His voice was now pleading with her. "Celes..." She finally looked up at him. "Nothing is going to fuckin' happen to me. _Nothing_."

"You don't know that," she mumbled. He let out a sigh, and she knew that he was getting frustrated with her. She looked back down and closed her eyes. She could feel his hand stroking the side of her face now.

"You know that I love you too much to let anything happen, don't you?" he asked. Celes could feel her heart start to race. She looked up at him dumbfounded. She was trying to say something, anything back to him. She wanted to tell him the same thing, but she was so shocked by his words. Before she could, he leaned down and kissed her deeply. He finally broke away from her, his mouth only inches away. "I better get you back to work." She nodded her head as they both climbed off the bed. She waited by the front door for him as he threw a black shirt on. He pulled his cross necklace out and headed to the front door, kissing her one more time.

They only noise in the car was the low sound of a classic rock station coming through the speakers. Celes's heart was still racing as Billy drove towards the Diner, his free hand resting firmly on her knee.

"Did you mean that?" she finally asked him only a few blocks away from the Diner.

"Mean what?" he asked not taking his eyes off the road.

"That you loved me?" she asked quickly glancing at him.

"Yeah," he replied squeezing her knee and looked over at her. "I don't say shit I don't mean." She nodded her head as he looked back at the road letting out a grunt.

"What?" she asked puzzled.

"Now I know where Savannah gets it from."

"Gets what from?"

"Why she's always asking so many damn questions," he said pulling into the parking lot. Celes reached over smacking his chest as he let out a laugh. He leaned over giving her a kiss. "What time do you get off?"

"Nine," she said opening the car door. He didn't say anything, just watched her as she got out of the car. She was halfway up the sidewalk when she heard hollering coming from the parking lot. She looked back to see the matching red car pull up next to Billy's. She shook her head, they always had to make a scene any where they went. She went inside, punching herself back in as Evie made a gag noise from behind her. Celes turned around to mouth something, but stopped staring at Evie as her jaw dropped.

"What?" Celes asked quickly.

"Oh no," Evie said taking a step back and pointing her finger. "Oh no...dammit...no."

"_What?_" Celes asked.

"You've got that look. Oh dammit, I knew it. I knew this was going to happen!" Evie threw her hands in her hair and started shaking her head. Celes couldn't help, but let out a laugh.

"What are you talking about? You look like you're about to have an aneurysm," Celes said.

"Because I am," Evie said letting out a groan and started walking towards the front counter. Celes tied her apron around her waist and followed her.

"Okay did I miss something?" Celes looked over to see Billy, Joe, Heco, Bodie, and Baggy walking in the door. He winked at her as he started heading to the back booth.

"Obviously," Evie said loudly throwing her hands up in the air. Celes stared at her giving her a questionable look. "You're in love with him. You're in_ love _with friggin' Billy Darley!" Celes could feel her face grow hot as the guys glanced over at Evie. Billy narrowed his eyes at Evie, trying to figure out what was going on. Before Celes could even slap her hand over Evie's mouth, she heard someone clear their throat. She looked over to see a tall woman standing there wearing a gray buisness suit. Her black hair was straightened perfectly around her face as she narrowed her eyes at Celes.

"Can I help you?" Celes asked. She could still feel Billy's eyes on her as the lady glanced at him and then back at Celes.

"Yes," she said. "I'm Detective Wallis." She reached out her hand, flashing Celes her badge. Celes quickly looked over at Billy, his eyes were now narrowing at them. "Are you Celes Walker?"

"Uh..yeah," Celes stared at her confused. "Did something happen?"

"Do you know a Lucas Harrison?" Celes felt a chill run over her whole body as Evie came up beside her.

"That's my ex-boyfriend," she said glancing at Evie. "But we haven't been together in months."

"I see," Detective Wallis said. "When's the last time you saw him?"

"Um..well it's been about a month or so...what..what is this about? Is he in some sort of trouble?"

"A group of teenagers came upon a body with no ID in the river. He had been shot three times in the chest. We know now that it was Lucas's body after a missing persons's report came through." Celes felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She stared at the detective, her eyes wide.

"_What?_" she practically yelled as Evie quickly wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "He's...he's dead?!" She could feel hot tears burning in her eyes as she started taking quick breaths. Billy stared at them now, a furious look on his face. "No...no..he can't be dead.."

"I'm sorry," Detective Wallis said. "But can you tell me what happened the last time you saw him?" Celes could barely hear her now as she broke away from Evie.

"I think I'm going to throw up," she mumbled racing to the bathroom. Tears were streaming down her face as Billy quickly got to his feet. She hated Luke, but not enough to ever want him dead. Not enough to want him shot and thrown in some river. She couldn't look at Billy as he tried to grab her. She couldn't be around him, because her gut told her that he had something to do with it.


	10. Answers

1

I love everyone's reactions to the last chapter!! Thank you so so much for leaving a review! Hope you enjoy this one too!!

**Chapter Ten: Answers**

Celes splashed cold water over her face and stared at her reflection. She couldn't believe that he was dead. A sick feeling grew back in her stomach as she raced to the bathroom stall. She gripped the seat of the toilet taking in deep breaths.

"Not again," she whispered choking back a few tears. She could feel a panic setting in with her.

"Celes?" Evie called out. Celes took in a few more deep breaths before opening the stall door. Evie stood there, her arms out as Celes walked into them. "I'm sorry. I know he was an ass, but...I'm sorry." Celes nodded her head and wiped away the tears that were running down her face. "That detective is still out there." Evie paused as Celes broke away from her, grabbing a few paper towels and wiping her eyes with them. "You don't think..." her voice trailed off, but Celes knew what she was getting at.

"I don't know," Celes mumbled. "I...I can't...he couldn't...he just.."

"Come on," Evie said grabbing her hand. "Just answer her questions, and she'll be gone." Celes nodded her head as they headed out of the bathroom. The detective was only a few feet away from Billy's table. Billy was staring intensely at the door as Celes walked through it. She still wouldn't look his way as the detective gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Detective Wallis said.

"Yeah what a shame," Evie mumbled. The detective eyed her for a minute then turned back to Celes.

"I'll just make this brief," she said. "What happened the last time you saw him?"

"Um...he...uh..." Celes stammered her words.

"He attacked her," Bodie pipped in. The detective turned around staring sternly at the guys. She knew who they were, and had her suspicions when she noticed the way Billy had reacted to Celes taking off.

"Excuse me?" she asked. Billy's eyes were still sternly on Celes, almost as if he didn't hear Bodie.

"We were all at Four Roses, and he tried to jump her in the parking lot," Bodie continued giving a nervous glance to Celes. "We scared him off."

"What do you mean by scared him off?" Detective Wallis asked eyeing him.

"Look at us," Joe said with a smirk. "Do you really have to ask?"

"Yes," she said sternly. "I do. So after you "scared" him off, what did you do?"

"Went back in the bar and got drunk," Joe said shrugging his shoulders.

"And who is we?"

"Everyone sitting here," Joe replied. Celes's heart started pounding faster now. She wasn't for sure if what they were saying was for her own benefit or theirs. It didn't look good that the last time she saw him he was attacking her. Trying to drag her to his vehicle until Billy had showed up. Another chill ran up her as she darted her eyes at Billy. His jaw was clenched as his hand was holding a coffee cup with such force, she was sure it was going to bust in his hand.

"And what relationship do you have with them, Mrs. Walker?" The detective was now staring at Celes who was still trying to fumble with her words. _Twitch. Twitch. Twitch._ She didn't know what to say to her.

"She's my girlfriend," Billy said staring sternly at the detective. Detective Wallis stared at him for a moment then glanced at Celes who was looking nervous.

"And he never tried to contact you after the incident?" she asked Celes. Celes stared at Billy not for sure if she was more shocked or relieved he said it. "Ma'am?"

"Oh," Celes said looking back up. "No...no, he never tried to after that night." Big Mike was now coming around the corner, his eyebrows up and an irritated look on his face.

"What's going on out here?" he asked then stopped seeing the detective flash her badge. "Is everything okay? Is Savannah all right?"

"Savannah?" Detective Wallis's asked.

"That's my daughter," Celes said. "And she's fine." Mike nodded his head, curious of what was going on. "Are we done here?"

"For now," Detective Wallis said taking one more glance at the gang at the table. She dug in her pocket, taking out a buisness card and handing it to Celes. Celes looked down at the name, Detective Jessica Wallis. "If you can remember anything, or happen to hear something, please contact me." Celes nodded her head as the detective walked out of the Diner.

"What was that about?" Mike asked. Celes was staring at the ground as Evie leaned over, and whispered to him what was going on. Celes knew that Billy's eyes were on her again, but she couldn't look at him. She felt Mike's hand on her shoulder.

"Go home for the day," he said. Celes shook her head quickly. "Seriously, you don't need to be here right now." She finally looked over at him and he nodded his head, urging her to take the rest of the night off. She took off her apron, throwing it on the front counter.

"Are you okay to drive?" Evie asked as Celes grabbed her tips from her cup.

"I'll take her," Billy said standing up.

"No," Celes said quickly not looking at him. "I can drive myself." She brushed past him as Billy's anger grew on his face.

"Dammit," he mumbled as she jerked the Diner door open. He took off as Evie jumped to stop him. But Bodie was already on his feet as he side stepped her, grabbing her arm. Her eyes were narrowed as she snapped her head towards him.

"Are you crazy?" she demanded. "Don't be grabbing me!"

"Just let them go," Bodie said loosening his grip on her arm. Evie wanted to chase after them both, but she knew if Celes needed her help, she would have asked. It was the little things that she had noticed in her friend lately. She was having more courage to stick up for herself. Celes could never handle death. Ever since Evie had known her it's always been someone dying in Celes's life. Having an absent father that Celes never knew hadn't helped her childhood. Especially after her mother developed a habit that killed her when they were just kids. When Keaton was killed on his job, Evie thought for sure she was going to loose it. But she toughened up, knowing that she had to get through it because of Savannah. Her biggest fear was becoming her mother, and she swore she would never do that. After Celes's Grams had died of a heart attack was when Celes finally crumbled. It made her more vulnerable, and that's how Luke was able to keep his lock on her. Evie was in shock that he was dead, but in some sick way, she was also relieved. She knew that he would never be back to hurt Celes or Savannah ever again.

"Dammit Celes!" Billy shouted as she broke out into a jog towards her truck. She had parked it behind the Diner, and now she was wishing she would have just parked it up front. She could already be out on the road and away from him. She got to her truck, her hands trembling as she tried to stick her key into the lock. Before she could get the door open, she felt his grasp around her arms. He was holding her firmly as she tried to struggle away from him.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he bellowed, spinning her around to face him. The tears were streaming down her cheeks again and the sick feeling was returning to her stomach. He was only inches away from her face now.

"Why did you do it?" She closed her eyes for a second and took in a deep breath, preparing herself for his answer.

"Do what?" Billy asked his eyes growing angry again. "You think I killed him?" She didn't answer as the nervous twitch came to her eye. He reached up, trying to place his thumb on it, but she smacked away his hand. "Don't be stupid Celes."

"I'm not stupid!" she snapped. "Just tell me you didn't do it...please...just.." She stopped her sentence getting choked up again.

"Why are you crying over him?" Billy asked angrily. "You're crying over some asshole who use to fucking beat you?" His hands cupped the sides of her face. "Why do you even care?"

"Stop!" Celes shouted pushing herself away from him. "Just tell me the truth."

"Do you think I did it?" Billy demanded.

"I don't know!" she shouted through a sob. "You won't tell me anything about what you do and I hear things that I don't want to be true! But then-"

"What do you hear?" he challenged her. "What have you fucking heard?"

"What do you think?!" she shouted back. She was pissed now as she wiped away the tears that were covering her face. "I need to know the truth. You can't hide this from me. This isn't protecting me!" He knew from the beginning that she would be too innocent for him. He always acted on his rage. He didn't have to think twice about his actions ever having consequences for others. The only people he knew to protect were his boys, and most of all Joe. That had changed now. Now that her and Savannah were in his life. _"Can you keep a secret?" _ Savannah's words flew through him again. _ "He's a really bad guy."_ He couldn't let Luke walk out of the motel room knowing that he would just be back to hurt them again. He knew how it felt to be brought up with someone's smacking you around. They were both too innocent for that, they didn't deserve that. All these reasons that he had, he knew they wouldn't mean anything to her. He couldn't tell her what Savannah told him, it would kill her. He knew if the truth came out, he would loose her forever.

"No," he finally said. Celes sucked in a huge breath closing her eyes.

"Promise me," she said as he tried to pull her close to him. "Promise me that you didn't do it and that you don't know what happened to him."

"I promise," he said sternly. He pulled her in as she buried her face in his chest and started to sob. She wasn't for sure now why she was so hysterical. She knew she didn't want to be the reason for Luke's death. She couldn't live with herself if she was the reason.

That night Celes kept tossing and turning in her sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, the only thing she could see was Luke glaring back at her. Billy's started to lightly rub her back. He had been asleep until she had started turning around. Pulling away from him every time he tried to wrap his arm around her. She let out a sigh and glanced at the clock, it was 2 AM.

"You need to go to sleep," he mumbled.

"I can't," she said flatly and sat up. "I'm going to get those sleeping pills Evie put on the table for me."

"I'll get them," Billy said yawning. He got out of bed and walked out of her room and into the kitchen. He flicked the switch, squinting his eyes at the light. He walked over to the cabinet grabbing a glass and filled it up with water. As he turned around, something caught his eye. The buisness card that the detective left for Celes was laying on the counter. He remembered the detective from a year ago when she was investigating a shooting between his boys and B Street. She could never pin it on them, but that didn't stop her from tailing them for a few months. He knew that Bodie was only trying to protect them when he told her what happened that night at the bar. Now she would be poking around, trying to connect them with Luke's death. Billy grabbed the card and crinkled it up, throwing it in the trash can. The last thing he wanted was Celes having any contact with her.

Billy walked back into her room seeing Celes sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs, pushing against the chest. Her head was laying to the side, her hair flowing over her face. He walked over, holding out the glass of water to her. She grabbed it and put out her other hand as he dropped two pills onto it. He stared at her with a serious look on his face as Celes raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just making sure you take them," he said. She stared at him still with a questionable look on her face. "Go on." She couldn't help but laugh as she popped both of the pills in her mouth and took a drink of water. Billy climbed back into the bed and sat against the headboard as she put her glass on the night stand. His hand grazed her back as she laid her head down on his chest, snuggling up to him. She closed her eyes again, feeling his chest moving up and down. After she had gotten home from the Diner she had locked herself in her room and sobbed for what seemed like hours. Her throat was still dry from it, and she knew her eyes were still puffy. Billy sat in the living room with Savannah the entire time. Until she finally could put herself together.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"What?" Billy asked opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I blamed you." She turned her head, now looking up at him as he cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have-" Billy quickly placed his finger on her lips.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Just get some sleep, okay?" She nodded and laid her head back down on his chest.

"You were right," she said after a few minutes. She felt Billy let out a small sigh, she knew he was getting irritated with her.

"Right about what?" he mumbled.

"When you asked me why I was getting so worked up over someone-" she stopped for a second, feeling herself getting choked up again. "I shouldn't care. I mean, he was horrible to me. And there's no telling what would have happened if I would have stayed. I mean, Savannah and I-"

"Hey," Billy said stroking her cheek. "Don't worry about that shit anymore. It's over. Nothing is going to happen to you now." She took in a deep breath feeling his arm wrap around her waist. The reassuring feeling that she needed was there again. It wasn't just the fact that she felt safe with him. It was everything. The tiny smirk that appeared on his face when she would walk into a room. The way his eyes turned when Savannah came around him. The first day she had seen him, those eyes made her nervous. But now it was the only thing she wanted to see. Her heart started to race again remembering his words from earlier. He loved her. She knew all of this was crazy. She had told herself this from the start, and just about every night since the shooting. He had made her stronger in some ways. She realized she hadn't felt this way in a very long time.

"You know what you said earlier?" she asked him. "About not letting anything happen to me?" He quit stroking her cheek and cupped his hand under her chin, making her eyes look at him. "You know that I trust you, right?." He stared at her, a questioning look on his face. "That I know you won't let anything happen to me." He blinked a few times as she pulled herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her mouth was only inches away from his as she took in a deep breath. "And that I love you too." Billy pressed his lips hard against hers. The kiss seemed to last forever before he finally broke away from her. He pressed his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.

"You mean that?" he asked with that same smirk she loved on his face.

"I don't say shit I don't mean," she said smiling back at him.

—

"Oh will you two please stop having eye sex in front of me," Evie mumbled filling the salt shakers at work. Celes's jaw dropped as she stared at Evie. It had been almost two weeks since the detective had came to tell her about Luke's death. She hadn't came back by, and Celes didn't even know where she had placed her buisness card. Things were getting back to normal, well as normal as they could get. "You two make me want to puke. Don't you find it a little creepy how they're always in here? Just watching." She took another glance at Billy, Joe, Baggy, and Bodie sitting at the usual back corner booth. They were laughing loudly about something.

"You do realize that only one of them is here for me, right?" Celes said as Evie stared at her puzzled.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Evie asked.

"Nothing," Celes sang walking off.

"You better not be thinking that those other two jackasses are here for me," Evie called out a little too loud. "Celes!" She didn't care that Big Mike was giving her a warning look through the window. Celes's head popped up next to Big Mike's and she smiled widely at her.

"Well apparently," Celes quipped. "you do have a nice ass." Evie's eyes narrowed as she slammed the container of salt down on the table, making two shakers fall off.

"You're not funny!" she yelled.

"Who said I was being funny?" Evie picked up a rag from the table and chucked it through the window. Celes ducked as Big Mike happen to lean over to say something when the towel smacked him in the face.

"Get back to work!" he shouted ripping the towel from his face. Celes quickly rounded the corner trying to control her laughter as Evie still glared at her. Celes grabbed a bucket and started busting tables on the other side of the Diner. Fifteen minutes later the lunch rush had came in, and Evie and Celes were running around like crazy. The place was getting so packed that Celes didn't even notice that Bones Darley had walked through the door. She didn't notice the pissed off look on his face as he approached the booth that the guys were sitting in. But Joe noticed it. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. This wasn't good.

"Billy...Billy," he said quickly nodding his head. Billy turned around, cursing under his breath, and straighten himself in his seat.

"Enjoying your lunch ladies?" Bones bellowed as his hands slammed down on the table. Billy took in a deep breath looking up at him. "Now I just left that shit hole you call your office and there was no one in fucking sight. So what do I do? I take a drive around town, trying to find someone to give me my fucking money for the past two nights. What do I find?" His eyes glared through his glasses at the four of them. "No one. Not one single one of you fuck stains are doing your job." He waited for one of them to say something, almost daring them to smart off to him. "That means get the fuck up and get to work!" Baggy and Bodie quickly slid out of the booth. Joe was following lead when Bones reached out, snatching him by his collar. Billy's eyes popped as he gripped the table ready to pounce. He could feel all his anger rising in him now. He didn't care what Bones did to him, but he didn't want him touching Joe. The last time Bones got his hands on him he almost killed him. Bones saw the fire in Billy's eyes as he smacked Joe on the back of the head.

"And you, you little shit," Bones said a smirk trying to escape his face. "The next time you refer someone to my fucking place, you better make sure they have enough money to pay me. Or I'll take it from you. And we both know that won't be fuckin pretty." Joe looked over at Billy, not for sure what to do. "Do I have to tell you to get the fuck out of my sight?" Billy nodded to Joe who took off in almost a jog towards the Diner door. Billy started to get up from the booth, but Bones slammed his hands down on his shoulders, making him fall back into the booth.

"You in some fucking hurry Billy boy?" Bones asked as he sat down across from him. Billy was looking down at his hands now as short breaths escaped his mouth. He didn't dare look over at Celes. He didn't want to Bones to know anything about her. He was just hoping whatever Bones wanted to scream about, he would do it quick. "Your brother is about as half as fucking stupid as you are. Lord knows I've been patient with the both of you's." The chimes of the door went off as Billy glanced over seeing Joni walking in with Savannah. Savannah was holding Joni's hand, her smile wide as she saw her mom at the counter.

"What do you want?" Billy snapped to Bones.

"What do I want?" Bones demanded. "I want you to get your fucking head straight. Where the hell have you been lately? Huh?" Anger rose in Bones's voice and Billy knew he shouldn't have challenged him. "I took pity on you and look what you do. Fucking it up, as usual." Billy's fingers started to drum the table as Bones glared at him through his thick black glasses. "You gonna answer me?"

"I'll fix it," Billy said in a low voice. Bones cupped his ear as Billy cleared his throat. "I said I'll fix it."

"You better fix it," Bones said sternly.

Joni picked Savannah up, sitting her on top of the counter as Celes approached it. Savannah had her back turned towards Billy, her red cape tied securely around her neck.

"Hey mom," Savannah said cheerfully. "Joni is letting me have a chocolate shake."

"She is?" Celes said kissing her daughter on her forehead. She looked over at Joni who was sitting down on the stool. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she was wearing black jogging capris and a white tank top. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was wearing no make up. "Are you okay?"

"What?" Joni asked looking up at her. "Oh...yeah. I'm fine." Celes didn't push the issue, but she had noticed a change in Joni over the past few weeks. She wasn't dressing up as much anymore, hardly ever wearing any make up. Evie told her that she had been missing a lot of work lately. She was always the one to want to go out, but she hardly left the house anymore. Celes noticed Joe hanging around more and more at the Diner and less with her. "My mom wants to a chef salad too."

"I think Joe-" Celes stopped herself when she realized who was sitting in the back booth with Billy now. Billy wasn't looking at her, but she could see the anger on his face. "Um..." But Joni hadn't noticed as she looked down at her nails. It was like she hadn't heard Celes say a word. "Joni, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Joni said looking up. "I've just been tired."

"Moomm," Savannah sang as Celes turned her attention back to her daughter. "Can I have my milkshake now?"

"Yeah," Celes said. The chimes went off on the door and Celes glanced up. A guy that looked to be around twenty or so walked through the door. He was tall, had to be around six feet or so. His hand was still on the door as an ear to ear grin spread across his face when he saw Celes. He wore faded jeans with rips in them, a short sleeve black shirt making the tattoos on his arms visible. But it was the hair that made Celes stop in her place. She knew that crazy brown mess from anywhere.

"Oh my gosh!" Her hand flew over her mouth as he stood there, his arms wide open at her. "Brayden!" she shrieked, jumping over the counter and running full speed at him. She jumped into his arms as he let out a laugh, wrapping his arms around her tightly and swung her around. Billy had heard her and was now cranking his neck to see what was going on. The only thing he saw was some guy holding Celes and the biggest smile that he had ever seen on her face. The guy leaned down kissing Celes on the forehead. Billy's eyes turned wild staring at them.

"Am I fucking boring you?" Bones spat. But Billy didn't hear him, as his glare stayed on Celes and the other guy.

"I cannot believe you're here!" she said, her arms still wrapped around him. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come see my favorite girl," Brayden said with a laugh. Billy could feel the vessel in his head about to explode. "_Who the fuck is this guy?" Billy thought_. He was about to jump to his feet when he felt a tight pull on the back of his neck. He snapped his head back to see Bones holding his shirt and right in his face.

"I'm fucking talking to you Nazi," Bones hissed. He dropped his hand and looked over to where Billy's attention had been. His eyes narrowed as he looked back at Billy. "So that's why you've been dicking off? Because of some little bitch you're sleeping with?"

"She's not some little bitch," Billy snapped. Bones stared at him harshly now. He knew better to talk back to Bones.

"You get a girlfriend and all of a sudden your work goes to shit? Who is she?" Billy didn't answer as Bones's raised an eyebrow at him. He looked back over in the direction of where she stood. The guy now had his arm wrapped around Celes's shoulders as they walked towards the counter.

"Savannah!" the guy shouted as he picked her up from the counter. She was smiling widely, laughing, as he twirled her around up in the air. "When did you become a super hero?" Celes was still hanging onto him as Billy's fist hit the table.

"She's got a fucking kid?" Bones asked with a mocking laugh. Billy snapped his attention back to Bones finally. He wish he knew how to control his anger, because the one thing he never wanted was happening. Bones was now aware of who Celes and Savannah were. Even if Billy didn't breath a word about them, he would find out anything he could on them.. "Hey," Bones snapped grabbing Billy's shirt again. "You listen to me. You make drugs. You sell your drugs. And you hand the money over to me. That is what _you_ do. You don't run around pretending that you are some kind of fucking father figure." He pointed his finger in the direction of Celes. "That's not your fucking life. That will never be your life. You got that Nazi?" He slapped the side of Billy's head and stood up. "If you don't get your shit together, I will get it together for you. You don't want that Billy. Because that's the day you'll never set eyes on that pretty thing over there ever again." Billy's face turned red knowing that Bones words were not even a warning. It was a promise.

Celes looked over Brayden's shoulder as he twirled Savannah up in the air, and goose bumps started to rise up on her skin. Seeing Brayden again made her completely forget about the fact that Billy and Bones were still in the Diner. Bones was walking past her now, a dead set glare in his eyes as he looked at her. She couldn't move, that look alone seemed to paralyze her. He didn't stop his glare until he got to the door. Brayden hadn't noticed what was going on as he started laughing his loud wild laugh at something Savannah had said. When she turned her head, she didn't know which glare was worse. Billy was holding the side of the table, his knuckles white from gripping it so hard.

"I'll be right back," Celes said quickly as Brayden glanced over to see where she was going. He put Savannah back on the counter and got a good look at the guy Celes was approaching.

"Who's that?" Brayden asked nodding his head towards the back booth. Savannah turned her head around to see Billy sitting in the back booth.

"That's Billy," Savannah said. "He's mommy's boyfriend."

"He's kind of big," Brayden mumbled as Joni let out a little laugh. Brayden turned his head and smiled at her.

"I'm Joni," she said. "I'm friends with Celes and-"

"Well if it isn't the first class screw up and the third class rock star!" Evie shouted. Brayden let out a loud laugh knowing who that voice belonged too. Evie came jetting around the corner to give him a hug.

"Evie!" Brayden shouted wrapping her up in a big hug. "You got boobs!" Evie pulled back and punched him as hard as she could in the arm. "Ow!"

"And I see you still have a mullet!" she smarted back running her hand through his hair. "What are you doing here?" Brayden looked over at Savannah who was laughing at the two of them.

"I had to come see my favorite girl," he said leaning over and giving Savannah a kiss on the forhead.

Celes could feel the twitch coming into her eye as she approached him. She didn't know what had happened, but he had that crazy look on his face. His jaw was still clenched as she stood in front of him.

"Hey," she said crossing her arms over her chest. "What's wrong?" He shook his head and glared at her.

"What's wrong?" he mocked. "You're running into some other guy's fucking arms and you ask me what's wrong?" He stood up so quickly that Celes almost tripped over her own feet trying to get out of the way before they collided.

"Billy," she said quickly reaching out trying to grab his shirt. "Let me explain-"

"You think that's something I want to see?" he said cutting off her sentence. "You have to pull that shit when I'm talking to him? Now I gotta hear him questioning about who you and Savannah are."

"What?" Celes asked. "What is he asking?"

"Don't worry about it," Billy snapped. She stared at him blankly, not believing how he was acting.

"Don't tell me not to worry about it," she said her voice rising. "Stop leaving me in the dark about this stuff."

"Stop leaving you in the dark?" he barked. He was in her face now as she tried to take a step back. "Who the fuck is he?"

"Calm down," she said her eyes pleading with him. An older couple were staring at them now, a nervous look on their faces. Celes gave them a half smile and looked back at Billy. "Just stop."

"Fine," he spat walking away from her. She stood there dumbfounded, not for sure what had just happened. Brayden and Evie watched as Billy walked past them, his eyes locked with theirs.

"Okay," Brayden said quietly. "That guy makes me feel really uncomfortable." Evie couldn't help but let out a giggle as Billy turned his head walking towards the front door.

"Billy?" Savannah called out as Celes started walking fast towards him Her face was red and her eyes were narrowed. She didn't even bother looking their way as she went after him.

"Woah," Brayden said. "I don't think I've ever seen her that pissed before."

"Yeah," Evie said. "That's been happening a lot lately since she's been with Billy."

"Interesting," Brayden said sitting down on a stool and glanced over at Joni. She felt her cheeks growing a little warm and was wishing now she didn't look like such a slob. "So did they tell you I'm a musician?" Evie rolled her eyes and let out a groan. She smacked him on the back of the head as she headed around the corner of the counter. "What? I am!"

Celes stalked out of the Diner, her sneakers hitting the pavement in thuds as she went after Billy. Something about this scene was too familiar with her. The over jealous act had to stop. She didn't care what Bones had done to piss him off. He wasn't going to take it out on her. And he especially wasn't going to take it out on Brayden. Billy reached his car when she shouted his name. He couldn't face her right now though. He was too pissed. Too pissed about Bones and every move he made while they were at the Diner. Too pissed at himself for letting her get involved in his life. He ripped open the car door and she quickly slid in between him and the entrance to his car.

"I had a life before you!" she yelled as he stared at her blankly. "I had a whole other life before I even came to this city! And you keep telling me that I don't have to worry now and that I'm safe. But when you take off like that, when you just leave me there, I don't feel that way!"

"What the fuck do you want from me?" he yelled. "I'm not use to this!"

"Use to what?" Celes snapped. Her hands were flying now. "Not knowing what's going on?" Billy glared at her knowing that she was taunting him with his own words. "You never tell me what's going on, but I don't storm out, throwing some little fit." Billy grabbed her face, making Celes freeze, as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Do you see me with anyone else?" he hissed. She didn't say anything as her hands started to shake. "Do you?" She ripped his hands away from her face. "Who is he? Some ex-boyfriend?"

"You don't even know how wrong you are," she snapped. "That guy who I was so happy to see? That's Brayden, Savannah's uncle! And we haven't seen him in over two years Billy." Tears were staring to form in her eyes now as she stared at him. "He happens to be the only link my daughter has to her father." She watched as the anger in his eyes faded. "You're not the only person who has had an asshole for a father and a dead mother Billy. And just because you don't know what's going on, or someone pisses you off, you can't just resort to anger. You can't take it out on me every time Bones shows up. Not if you want to be with me. Not if you're going to be around my daughter." He didn't say anything as she quickly walked away heading back into the Diner. He climbed into his car, slamming the door as hard as he could. He slammed his hands down on the steering wheel a few times, not believing what he had just done. He knew he had to get a hold on his anger. Because if he didn't start thinking before he reacted, he turn out just like Bones. That was something he knew he could never be.

Billy lit up a cigarette and sped out of the parking lot, not noticing the beat up black Cutlass that was parked on the side of the Diner. Two men set in the car watching him as he drove off. The driver was stocky with brown hair that reached the back of his neck. He had it slicked back and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He pushed up the sleeves on his gray shirt and stared straight ahead for a moment. Marcus had known Billy Darley for years, but never knew him to get upset over a girl before. He had been driving down the street when he saw Bones's car peeling out of the parking lot. When Billy stoked out of the Diner with the girl right on his trail, he decided to stop.

"Who's the girl?" Marcus asked looking back into the Diner. She was pretty as she sat down on the counter talking to the group of people that were there. She didn't look like the type to be hanging out with anyone from a gang.

"Don't know her," Rick replied flicking his cigarette out the window. "But Ollie said he's been seeing her for a while now. I think she hangs out with Joe's girl, ya know, that dancer."

"Find out everything you can on Billy's girl," he said staring up his car.

"You gettin' an idea?" Rick asked as Marcus pulled the car back on the road. A sly grin came across his face as he glanced over at Rick.

"I'm thinking Billy Darley picked the wrong mother fucker to mess with," he said.


	11. Letting Go

1**Thanks so much for all the great reviews guys! This chapter is kind of a filler in a way. I didn't want it to keep going and going, but the next chapter should be up in a couple days. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated!! Hope you like :)**

**Chapter 11: Letting Go**

Celes let out a loud groan and ran her hands through her hair at the sound of the phone ringing again. She kicked off her covers and let out a long sigh. She sat up in her bed when the ringing stopped. She shook her head, about to lay back down, when the ringing started again. She cursed under her breath as she stomped her way through the house towards the phone.

"Who the hell keeps calling?" Brayden grumbled from the couch. Celes ripped the phone off the wall with such force, the charger came crashing to the ground. "Angry much?" She ignored him as she hit the talk button on the phone.

"Hello," she snapped. The only thing she could hear was a hysterical sob. "Hello?"

"Ce-Celes," a voice choked on the other end of the line.

"Joni?" Celes asked as Brayden sat up on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"Can-Can you come get-get me?"

"Where are you?" All she heard was another sob come from Joni's voice. "What happened? Are you hurt? Is Joe okay?"

"I got into a f-f-ight with Joe," she said exhaling loudly in the phone. "I'm drunk and he won't give me my keys...and..and I just want to go home!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the Four Roses," Joni said more clearly now. "Will you please come get me? I didn't know who else to call."

"Is Billy there?" Celes asked quickly.

"Please Celes," Joni pleaded giving her the obvious answer. "I'll meet you outside, you don't even have to face him. Just...I can't do this anymore, I can't be with him. Evie was right about-" She heard a muffled voice and heard Joni snap something back at someone. It took a few seconds for her to get back on the phone. "Just please get here."

"Fine," Celes said with a sigh. "But you better be outside."

"Okay I promise," Joni said before hanging up the phone. Celes bent down picking up the charger and hung it back on the wall. She put the phone back in the cradle and turned around to see Brayden lighting up a cigarette. She squinted her eyes at him as he raised an eyebrow.

"That better be a cigarette," Celes warned walking into the living room. He held the cigarette up and grinned.

"What do you take me for?" he asked with a laugh.

"I've known you too long Brayden," she said. "Has Evie made it home yet?" Brayden shook his head and turned on the lap next to the couch. "Do you care to watch Savannah while I run and pick up Joni? Her and Joe got into another fight."

"No problem. Billy going to be there?" he asked. Celes didn't answer him as he made an o shape with his mouth. "You going to be all right?" She shrugged her shoulders as he nodded his head. Her relationship with Billy was something that he had decided he would never understand.

"Okay," Celes said taking a deep breath. "I'll be back."

"Good luck," Brayden called out as she walked out the front door. Celes got into her truck and headed to the Four Roses. Her heart started to race when she got near the parking lot, Billy's black car right in her sight. She turned into the parking lot and parked by the door, looking around for Joni. She sat there for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. Joni was no where in sight, and she held her breath when the door came flying open. Out walked two men that Celes had never seen before as she loudly exhaled. The last thing she needed was to run into Billy.

It had been four days since their fight at the Diner, and she hadn't seen or heard from him since. Now that Brayden was back, her mind was flooded with memories of Keaton. She had sat on her bed the day before staring down at an old picture of Keaton and her. It was only a week before she had found out she was pregnant with Savannah when she dragged Keaton into the photo booth while they were waiting for the movie to start. She still could remember his laugh as she made a crazy face into the camera. She could still hear his voice telling her that he loved her. What would he think of her now? She swore to herself that once she moved in with Evie, everything would be different. What would Keaton think of Billy? What would he think of her letting Savannah be around him? She knew that Billy could never be back in her life. His life was too dangerous for her.

After ten minutes of debating with herself whether to just drive off, she finally opened the truck door. She didn't know what had happened between Joni and Joe, but she could tell their relationship had been rocky lately. After taking a few deep breaths, she slammed the truck door shut and walked towards the bar. The door flew open again, as Heco stumbled out with Spink, laughing about something. They both stopped and stared at her for a moment, getting a good look at who she was.

"Is Joni in there?" she asked pointing towards the door breaking the silence.

"Yeah, good luck," Heco said lighting up a cigarette. Spink let out a laugh as they walked off. Celes went to the door, taking one more deep breath and stepped in. The music was blaring as she could hear laughter coming from the back. She looked over to see a blonde and a brunette laughing hysterically as the brunette hung on Tommy. He was sitting on a stool, his crutches leaned against the wall. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the blonde leaning against the pool table her finger running down Billy's chest. He was grinning at her, a beer in his hand. He took a deep drag from his cigarette as she pushed herself on him. Celes could feel her face turning red.

"Hey," Bodie said breaking her gaze from them. "What are you doing here?" Bodie had a worried look on his face as he glanced at her and back at Billy.

"Where the hell is Joni?" she spat walking towards him.

"She's back there with Joe," he said nodding his head to the back room. The door was closed as Celes turned to walk into it. Bodie quickly got in front of her, placing his hands on her arms. "I wouldn't go in there. They've been into it all night long."

"I know," Celes snapped. "That's why I'm here to get her." Bodie looked over at Billy who was now staring at them both. "Listen if Joni needs a ride, I'll just give her one. Just go home." Celes knew that he was trying to be nice. Giving her an opporutinity to just walk out of there before anything else could happen.

"No," she said quickly. "Joni wanted me to pick her up, so I'm staying until she comes out." She wasn't for sure what she was doing as she brushed past him and took a seat at the bar. Sammy was wiping down the counter and eyed Bodie. Bodie shrugged his shoulders and picked his drink up from the bar.

"Get her a shot," Bodie said. Sammy poured something in a shot glass as Celes snatched it out of his hands and downed it. Bodie leaned against the bar and glanced back over at Billy. Celes glanced back as the blonde had her arm draped around his neck. Billy threw her arm down as Celes turned back around.

"I need another shot," Celes said to Sammy.

"It's just some girl," Bodie said as Celes downed the next shot. "He's just drunk, don't worry about it."

"I'm not," Celes said firmly. Her hands were starting to shake as he stared at her. "I don't care." Bodie went to say something else when he noticed Billy stalking towards them. "Can I get another shot?" Bodie pushed himself off the bar walking away quickly as Billy came up on the side of her. She knew he was there as Sammy placed the shot down in front of her. She went to reach for it when Billy's hand came down, grasping the glass.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded She didn't look at him as she pointed to the shot glass in his hands.

"Do you mind giving me back my drink?" she asked annoyed. He didn't say anything as she went to reach for it. He slid the glass further away from her as she let out a sigh. "Give me back my drink."

"You don't need it," he said. She snapped her head to face him. A cigarette was hanging out of his mouth and his eyes were glazed over. She pushed herself up on the bar, leaning further to grab the shot glass. Suddenly his wrist went flying in the other direction as the shot glass slid down the bar, flying off the edge. It shattered to the ground as Sammy quickly walked away from them. "Get out of here."

"No," she snapped. He clenched his jaw as he glared at her. "I'm waiting for Joni."

"She's a big girl, she can find another fucking ride home."

"Well she called me, so I'm staying," she said then looked away. She glanced behind her seeing the two girls glaring towards her. They were both whispering as Celes grew a smirk on her face. She turned back around and stared cooly at him. "You better get back to your game. Wouldn't want your new friend to get jealous, would you?" Billy didn't even look in their direction as he threw his cigarette on the floor.

"You don't fucking belong here," he bellowed at her and grabbed a beer from behind the bar. "Leave." He turned around heading back towards the pool table.

"You're right," she said in a matter of fact voice. She spun herself around and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't for sure what had gotten into her. Maybe it was the fact that she had been awoken from a dead sleep. Or maybe because another girl was all over him. She wanted him to know that he wasn't going to affect her. That he hadn't made that big of an impact on her life. "I don't belong here. But I sure as hell don't belong to _you,_ so I'll leave whenever I want." He stopped in his tracks and turned around and came barreling towards her. She pushed her back against the bar, a nervous look on her face as he slammed the beer on the counter. He was in front of her now as his hands came crashing down on both sides of her, trapping her in. She could feel her heart trying to jump out of her chest as the wild look came across his face.

"You think this is some fucking game to me?" he hissed.

"Obviously," she quipped as he leaned in closer, his face only inches away from hers. "It didn't take you that long to really get over me, now did it?"

"Don't throw that shit in my face," he spat. "_That_ is nothing to me."

"Whatever," she snapped trying to get up from the bar stool. She couldn't let herself care anymore. "I'm going outside to wait for Joni." Billy wouldn't budge as she tried to push his arm out of the way. "Get out of my way!" She tried to pry his arm off of the bar, but he still wouldn't budge. Her palms were starting to sweat. "Just let me go!" She knew this had to end. He was right, this wasn't a game. This was her life, and she had to get away from him for good. "I can't be with you," she whispered trying to fight back the tears that were forming her eyes. "I...you have to let me go." He moved his hand off the bar, placing it on the back of her neck pulling her towards him. "Don't," she pleaded trying to get away from him. He placed his cheek against hers, his lips only an inch away from her ear.

"You belong to _me_," his husky voice whispered as a chill ran up her spine. "You and Savannah belong to me." His grip was still firm on the back of her neck as he gently nuzzled his face into her hair, inhaling her scent. He could feel her body start to tremble as he released his grip from her neck and pulled away, his lips grazing her cheek. She stared at him, her body paralyzed, as he walked away from her. She felt like she wasn't able to breath, still hearing his chilling words in her ear.

"I'm done with this!" Joni screamed running out of the back room door. Celes gasped as air filled her lungs. She hadn't been breathing after all. She slowly turned her head staring where Joni was now standing.

"You're done with me?" Joe demanded. He reached in his pocket as Joni's eyes widened. Celes slowly got to her feet, still shaking, as Joe pulled out her car keys and chucked them at her. "Then fuckin' leave!"

"I am!" Joni shouted back picking the keys up off of the floor. Joni turned around grabbing Celes by the wrist. "And I don't want to ever see you again!"

"Fine!" Joe shouted as everyone in the bar started turning their attention towards them

"Fine!" Joni shouted back as she dragged Celes's numb body towards the door.

"Just remember," Joe shouted as she jerked the door open. "You're the one that wanted the abortion in the first fucking place!" It was like someone had slapped both of the girls in the face as they stared at Joe.

"Did he just..." Celes stammered her words as she turned her attention back to Joni. Joni started to bawl as she bit back her lip, shaking her head. She stormed out of the bar with Celes quickly on her trail. "Joni!" Joni took off running towards her car, her hands fumbling with her keys when she reached the door. They dropped to the pavement as Celes came up behind her.

"Is it true?" Celes asked her. Joni turned around, her back against her car with her face shoved in her hands. She was sobbing hysterically now as Celes stood there dumbfounded. It had explained so much of what had been going on for the past few weeks. She didn't know what to say to her, how to react to her. She saw the bar door fly open again, Joe stalking out with Bodie and Baggy right behind him.

"Take her ass home!" Joe shouted as Celes glared at him. She reached out as Joni crumbled into her arms. Joe was coming towards them now as Bodie grabbed him, pulling him back.

"Let her go dog," Bodie said shoving his hands against his chest. "Just let her go." Celes wanted to smack him, scream at him for the way he was acting towards her. But she saw Billy come stalking out of the bar and quickly grabbed Joni.

"No fuck that!" Joe yelled suddenly changing his mind. "She's not leaving me like this!"

"I'm taking you home," Celes said pulling Joni with her towards her truck. Her heart was pounding as she saw Joe's fist clenched as he started taking steps in their direction. She ripped open the truck door as Joni jumped in. Celes was halfway in the truck when she looked up to see Billy stalking out of the bar, grabbing Joe by the back of his collar and shoving him against the wall of the bar.

"Stop," he said giving his brother a stern warning. He dug in his pocket, shoving a cigarette in his mouth as he heard Celes start up her truck. She flipped on her headlights and saw Billy staring wildly at her. _"You belong to me." _Joni let out another sob as Celes threw it in reverse and quickly drove out of the parking lot.

--

Celes and Joni walked into the house with Brayden still awake on the couch, lightly plucking at his guitar. He looked up at them as Joni sank down in a chair pulling her knees to her chest letting out another sob. Brayden stopped and stared at Celes with a confused look on his face.

"Don't ask," Celes said lightly as she headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Her hands were trembling as she filled up the glass. She just wanted this night to be over with. Brayden came in the kitchen, placing his hands down on her shoulders. She let out a sigh and turned around.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She shook her head having to fight back her own tears. "Was he there? Did he do something to you?" Did he do something to her? _"Yeah," she thought. "He scared the hell out of me." _ She couldn't get his words out of her head. She had never been scared of him. But those words and his eyes, she shook her head, not wanting to think about it anymore. "You can tell me."

"I'm fine Brayden," she said placing her hand on the side of his face. Even when they were just teenagers, Brayden had always been such a worrier. "It was just kind of crazy at the bar."

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked. She dropped her hand and shook her head.

"Not tonight," she said. She walked past him now and walked back into the living room. Joni looked up at her, her eyes puffy from bawling.

"Do you hate me for what I did?" she asked Celes in a low voice.

"No, I just don't understand why you did it," Celes said then took another drink from her glass. "I don't see how you could even think about having..." her voice trailed off as Brayden cleared his throat.

"I'll just be," he looked around. "Outside...smoking...a cigarette."

"I wish I would have never done it," Joni mumbled after Brayden had shut the front door behind him. She ran her hands through her hair letting out a sigh. "I cannot believe I thought it was the right choice. I look at Savannah, and it just..." she let out another sob. "It breaks my heart Celes. How could I have thought it was the right thing to do?"

"Did Joe make you?" she asked. Joni shook her head and wiped her nose.

"No," she breathed out. "I knew he didn't want it. But I just kept thinking that there was no way I could have a child. And even though I told him I wanted one, I was still deciding. Then he stole the money from Billy, and with the shooting...I just knew that I couldn't bring a child into our lives. And now...now.." Celes walked over wrapping her arms around Joni. Joni let out another sob and looked up at her. "What have I done?" Celes didn't know what to say to her. She couldn't even imagine ever not having Savannah in her life. Of course having a child when she was nineteen wasn't her plan, but there was just no way the thought of an abortion would even cross her mind.

Brayden took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled, watching the smoke swoosh in the air. He was grateful that Celes had let him stay at her house while he decided on what to do next. It had been too long since he had seen her or Savannah. Way too long. When Evie gave him a quick explanation of what had been going on, he wanted to kick himself. How could he leave them like he did? Celes had been a sister to him since he was thirteen. She never cared that he tagged along even when Keaton would get annoyed. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father was just a figure in the house. Always working and always down at the bar. It was up to Keaton to take care of him. When Celes had found out she was pregnant, Keaton swore that his daughter would have a family. A real family. He took another drag and sniffed. That all changed when Keaton walked into that burning building. He was the glue that held Celes, Savannah, and him together, and he didn't even know it. That was his brother though, always wanting to just do more. Always wanting to reach out and help someone. Two years ago, he saved up enough money to start his dream. But all it landed him was random hole in the wall bar gigs and countless woman. He let out a smirk, he really couldn't complain about the women. Now though, after seeing Celes and Savannah, and who she was with. He knew he should have stuck around. He knew he should have never left her there with Luke. She wouldn't be here, wouldn't be different, if he wouldn't have.

A car rumbled down the street, breaking Brayden's thoughts as he squinted his eyes. A black car with red tribal sworming it came to a hault in front of the driveway. Brayden stood up, throwing his cigarette down, as he watched a figure come out of the car. Under the street light he could see the scowl on Billy's face and he walked quickly up the steps towards the stoop. Billy pointed to the door as he approached him.

"Is she in there?" he asked with a demanding voice. He was now in front of Brayden as Brayden took a few steps, blocking the doorknob.

"Listen man," Brayden said his hands up. "I don't know what's going on, but maybe you should just leave. I don't think she wants to see you right now." Billy titled his head staring at him, showing him that he wasn't going to go anywhere. "Just come back tomorrow or something."

"Let me fucking talk to her," Billy said.

"She's taking care of Joni-" Brayden was cut off as Billy shoved past him reaching for the doorknob. Brayden knocked right into him, making Billy stumble off the stoop. He latched his hand on the window seal, his feet still stumbling underneath him. He got his balance back and glared up at Brayden. "Shit," was the only thing Brayden could get out as Billy lurched towards him. His fist went flying as Brayden ducked jumping off the stoop. Billy's fist slammed into the front door. He cursed under his breath as he spun around.

Celes jumped at the noise as she got to her feet and headed towards the front door. She ripped the door open to see Billy charging towards Brayden. She raced out the door running up behind Billy. Brayden had his hands up, his eyes wide as he was taking steps back from him. Billy raised his arm, about to take another swing at him, when Celes grabbed it, pulling it back with all her weight.

"What the hell are you doing!" she shouted. He spun around, breathing heavily as he stared at her. She shoved him as hard as she could as Brayden quickly went by her side. She glared at Billy and pointed her finger towards the house. "My _daughter_ is in there!" Billy stared blankly at her as she shook her head.

"Come on," Brayden says gently grabbing Celes's arm. She shrugged him off, her eyes still on Billy.

"Go inside Brayden," she said sternly. He tried to reach out to her again but she shook her head. Brayden walked backwards, not taking his eyes off of Billy. "Brayden!" she barked. This time he turned around, walking inside the house. He didn't shut the door as he stood in the doorway his arms crossed. There was no way in hell he was going to leave her alone with him.

"Celes," Billy said taking a step towards her.

"Don't come near me," she said. He stopped and stared at her, his eyes softer. "Now you're throwing punches at Brayden? What the hell is wrong with you?" He came towards her now as she backed up. He stopped as he noticed something in her face. She was pissed, that was obvious, but there was something else. "You need to go home Billy."

"I can't leave you," he said in a low voice. She shook her head wiping away a tear that snuck up in her eye. "You know I can't fucking leave you." Her eyes were filling up with tears she stared at him. "Dammit Celes-" he said trying to grab her.

"No!" she shouted jumping back. "You're really starting to scare me Billy." She ran her fingers through her hair and stared down at her feet. "You're scaring me," she whispered. Billy's face dropped as he looked at her. He was scaring her, something he never wanted to do. The only thing he wanted was for her to be back in his life. He knew that he was too drunk and high to have faced her. He had to back off before he did something worse. There was silence as Celes finally looked up only to see Billy jerking his driver side door open. He didn't look back at her as he started up his car and sped off. She stood there for a few minutes letting the cold air go through her lungs.

"You're going to freeze out there," Brayden said leaning against the doorframe. She let out a loud sigh as she walked under his arm that was holding the door open. Joni was still crumbled up on the chair as Celes told her to just go crash in Evie's room. She didn't say anything as she got out of the chair and walked out of the room.

"I'm going to bed," she mumbled as Brayden shut the front door.

"You think he's going to leave you alone now?" Brayden called out as she walked out of the room.

"Not likely," she replied knowing that it was going to take a lot more than what happened tonight to get Billy out of her life.


	12. Words

1**Chapter Twelve: Words**

"I want that with no mayo, no pickles, tomato on the side, and a separate dish for ranch. And I want curly fries, and make sure they're fresh," the lady snipped as Celes tried to hide the annoyance that was clearly showing on her face.

"Is that all?" Celes asked biting back her lip from wanting to tell the lady where to stick it. She wasn't in the mood for customers like this today. She hadn't been in the mood all week.

"_No_, I also want a glass of fresh tea," she said shaking her glass. "This is _disgusting_."

"Sorry about that," Celes mumbled taking the glass from her hand.

"Mmmhhmm," the lady said giving her a smirk. Celes turned around, feeling her face starting to turn red. She walked in the back, chucking the glass in the sink as Evie raised an eyebrow at her.

"You think Big Mike would care if I went out there and choked the lady?" Celes mumbled as Evie turned to look at the customer Celes had just waited on.

"Probably. Don't feel bad, I think it's national asshole day," Evie said shrugging. The chimes went off as her eyes went towards the door. "Well speaking of assholes, look who just walked in." Celes slowly turned her head feeling the goose bumps starting to rise on her arms. She stared through the window seeing Joe, Bodie, and Baggy walking in. Bodie glanced around the Diner then locked his eyes with Celes. He nodded at her as she stared blankly at him.

"Will you..." Celes stammered with her words.

"Yes," Evie said grabbing her order. "I'll wait on them." Celes let out sigh as she watched Evie walk out onto the floor. She hadn't seen Billy in a week, but that didn't mean he wasn't around. The first night after the bar she could hardly sleep. She knew that she had made the right decision. It was logical, practical, just like her. But as she laid there trying to think of anything but him, she heard it. The low rumble of his car coming down her street. Her window was open as she heard a faint rock song playing. The car had stopped, idling for a few minutes as Celes held her breath. She wanted to look, but she knew she couldn't. She heard the car take off, and wiped away the tears that had formed. The next day she had shrugged it off. It really could have been anyone driving by or even stopping at a neighbor's house. But that night, around the same time, she heard the car again. Then the next night and the next night, the same thing. She refused to look through her window, refused to even think about doing it. She couldn't let him back in.

Evie placed the plates down on the table then took in a deep breath before walking to the back booth. She could already feel the heat rising when she spotted Joe. She had warned Joni and Celes about them, and now look what had happened. She didn't know which one of the Darley's she wanted to hurt worse.

"What do you want?" Evie said staring at the three of them.

"Service with a smile?" Baggy quipped. Evie gave him a fake smile as Bodie let out a laugh. Joe stared down at his menu, not making any eye contact with her. Baggy mumbled off his order, tossing the menu to the side.

"I just want some coffee," Bodie said. Evie quickly scribbled down their order and scooped up their menus. She turned around to walk off when Joe snapped his head up.

"Hey," he said as she kept walking. "Hey you didn't get my order!"

"We're fresh out," Evie called back placing the menus in the holder.

"You don't even know what I want," Joe said. Evie turned back around and walked to the table, glaring at him.

"Listen hobbit," she snapped. "Do you see that sign up there?" Her hand swung up, pointing to a white sign with bright red lettering. "It clearly states that I have the right to refuse service and I'm using that right _today_."

"Well where the fuck is Celes?" Joe asked throwing down his menu.

"In the back, but she's not going to wait on you either," Evie turned around taking in a deep breath. She heard Joe mumbled the word bitch under his breath as she spun back around. "Get out!"

"What?" Joe asked with a shocked look on his face. Baggy and Bodie looked at both of them, trying to control their laughter.

"You heard me, get out!"

"Fuck you," Joe spat. Bodie whistled as he stared at Evie's anger rising on her face. It took her exactly five seconds for her to throw down her pad as she reached over grabbing Joe by his jacket.

"What the-" Joe started to say but couldn't get the words out as Evie yanked on him and started to drag him out of the booth.

"Oh shit!" Bodie yelled with a loud laugh as he watched her.

"Crazy bitch!" Joe yelled trying to grab onto the table. Evie almost had him out of the booth when she felt someone jerk on her shoulder, making her hands drop from Joe's jacket. She quickly spun around to see Billy standing right in front her. His eyes were narrowing, but quickly changed as he pushed her out of the way. Joe had scrambled to his feet about to lurch towards Evie when Billy put his hand out with force it knocked Joe back.

"Outside," Billy barked at him. Joe went to say something, his mouth twisted as he glared at Evie. He readjusted his jacket and stormed past them and out of the Diner. Billy didn't even look back at Evie as he looked over at Baggy and Bodie. "You seen Heco's ass?"

"Nah," Bodie said nudging Baggy to control his laughter. He could tell Billy was clearly pissed. "He left the office a few hours ago. Haven't seen his ass since."

"When you see him, tell him I'm looking for him," Billy said. Evie glanced back towards the counter seeing Celes walk out with a plate of food in one hand and a drink in the other. She was half way tempted to knock Billy into the booth so Celes wouldn't see them.

Celes let out a sigh as she was heading back to the table. She could see the irritated look already on the lady's face. She glanced over to see if Evie was still taking the guys's order when she saw him. He had his back turned and was wearing his long trench coat. Evie was looking at her nervously as she stopped in her tracks. She felt herself going weak, and before she knew what was happening, the plate slipped out of her hand. Billy heard the crash and quickly turned his head to see what had happened. His eyes locked with Celes's as her face started to turn pale.

"Miss!" the lady shouted, as Celes broke her gaze and quickly went to pick up the plate from the floor. Her hands were shaking as she tried to grab the food. The lady quickly got on her feet, ripping her purse off the table.

"This is ridiculous!" she shouted storming off towards the door. "Worst service _ever_!"

"Dammit," Celes mumbled grabbing the bowl of ranch off the floor. Billy took a step to go near her when Evie quickly jumped in front of him.

"Don't even think about it Darley," she hissed. "You've done enough." Billy glared at her, his jaw clenching. He wanted to knock her right out of the way, but knew he couldn't. He looked back over at Celes who was bringing the plate to the counter, her hands still shaking. "You need to leave." Billy ignored Evie's voice as he watched her quickly walk into the back room. "Take a hint, she doesn't want to see you." Billy snapped his attention back to Evie.

"You think I don't fucking know that?" he bellowed. He looked back at the booth to Bodie and Baggy. "Get your asses back to the office, we've got fucking work to do." Billy turned around to walk out of the Diner when Evie called out his name. He stopped, not turning around to look at her.

"And quit driving by the damn house," she said in a low voice. Billy closed his eyes taking in a deep breath. "It's fucking creepy." Evie turned around to walk away. She wanted to make sure that Celes was all right.

"Wait," he said in a stern voice as he lightly grasped her arm. She spun around quickly yanking her arm back.

"Do _not_ put your hands on me," she hissed. "I am _not _Celes or Joni and I will not hesitate to knock you out." Billy took a deep breath trying to control his anger. He had never let anyone talk to him that way. But he knew if he acted on it, it would only make things worse for Celes and him.

"I'm just looking out for her," Billy finally said in a low voice. "I need to know she's okay."

"You're only making it harder on her," Evie said lightly. He stared at her, a hurt expression on his face. She had expected him to yell at her, of even threaten her. Not show a glimpse that he actually cared. For a split second, she almost felt sorry for him. She shook her head lightly at him and turned around walking away. She was almost to the back door entrance when she heard someone say her name. She turned around, noticing Billy stalking out of the Diner, when she heard her name again. She turned her head to see Bodie standing on the side of the counter.

"Can I get my coffee to go?" Bodie asked. She raised an eyebrow at him showing that she was already irritated. "Please," he added. She rolled her eyes and turned around grabbing a to go cup. Bodie was about the only person she could stand out of the gang. Mainly because he hadn't pissed her off yet. "You know you've got a lot of guts doing what you did."

"So you've told me," Evie said turning around and placing a lid on his coffee. She placed the coffee in front of him and held out her hand for his money. He dug in his pocket and handed her a five. "I'm not one to scare easy."

"I've noticed," he said with a smile as she handed him back his change. "You know I really like that quality in a girl." He gave her a wink and walked away before she could say anything else.

"Evie," she heard Celes hiss as she quickly spun around. Celes was waving her hand frantically as Evie rushed around the corner. "What happened?"

"Which one?" she asked. Celes stared at her puzzled and Evie quickly shook her head. "Oh right, Billy. I told him that he needed to leave, and that he needed to quit driving by the house." Celes's face fell, she thought she was the only one that knew that. "Yeah, you're not going crazy, it was him," she gave her a sympathetic smile. "And then he left."

"He didn't say anything?" Celes asked. Evie stared at her for a second. She almost didn't want to tell her what he said. She knew it would just make things harder for her, but Celes could already read her mind. She tilted her head waiting for her to continue.

"He said he was just making sure you were safe," Evie finally said. Celes let out a loud sigh and turned around. "Oh and I dragged Joe's ass out the booth," Celes turned around, a shocked look on her face. "What? He called me a bitch." She shook her head and walked back out to the floor as Celes leaned against the wall. She knew it wasn't going to be easy getting Billy out of her life. And she was hoping that he would listen to Evie, and just leave her alone.

"What the fuck?" Joe yelled his arms up in the air as he leaned against Billy's car. Billy glared at his brother. "You're going to let her grab me like that?"

"You're a big boy," Billy said now standing in front of him, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah Joe," Baggy added taking a drag from his cigarette. "You scared of some bitch?"

"Shut up," Billy said pointing at Baggy then turned his attention back to Joe. "I don't need you starting shit in there." Bodie approached the three of them and took a drink of his coffee.

"We going?" he asked then stopped realizing he had walked in at a bad time. Billy looked over at him then back at Joe.

"I never want to catch you starting shit in there again," Billy stated his finger shoved in his brother's face. Joe took a deep breath, knowing that it wouldn't be a good time to smart off to him. He exhaled loudly and nodded his head.

"Okay," Joe said in a low voice.

"Okay then," Billy said slapping his brother on the side of his arm. "Let's go." Billy reached over, opening the car door when he heard a car pull up in the parking lot. Out of the corner of his eye he could already tell who's vehicle it was.

"Fucking fantastic," Joe muttered walking around to the passenger side door.

"Don't worry about it," Bodie said. Joe looked back to see Joni climbing out of her car. She was wearing her hair down, a huge smile on her face. He opened the door, about to climb in, when he saw someone else emerge from her vehicle.

"Mother fucker," Joe spat slamming the door shut. Billy was already in the car as he looked past to see Brayden standing next to Joni, his arm around her shoulders. Joni was leaning into him and they were both laughing. Billy cursed under his breath as he saw Joe storming towards them.

"What the fuck is this?" Joe yelled pointing at the two of them. Joni was in the middle of laughing at something Brayden said when she heard Joe's voice. She stopped in her tracks as they both looked and stared at Joe. "This who you're with now?" His voice was full or rage as he approached Brayden. Brayden's arm dropped from Joni's shoulders, his eyes wide.

"Joe!" Joni yelled trying to pull him away from Brayden. "Stop it!"

"Get off of me," Joe yelled shoving Joni to the side. She hit the side of the Diner, her body slamming into the big windows. Evie and Celes eyes both jumped up to see Joe taking a swing at Brayden.

"What the hell!" Evie yelled as they both darted towards the door. Brayden stumbled back as Joe went after him again, but this time Brayden ducked. Joe stumbled and quickly spun around only to get punched in the corner of his eye by Brayden.

"You just fucked up!" Joe yelled charging at him. Evie had just made it out the door, running full speed and shoving Joe as hard as she could. He stumbled, his feet tripping off the curb of the sidewalk, and landed on his back out in the street. Billy, Bodie, and Baggy's eyes were dead locked on Brayden as they stalked towards him.

"You're fucking dead!" Billy spat. Celes suddenly turned from shocked to pissed as she heard Billy's words. She looked up to see Brayden wiping blood from his mouth She quickly turned her head seeing them only a few feet away from Brayden. They looked like they were going to kill him. She quickly jumped in front of Brayden, her eyes narrowing as she shoved her hands out. Evie's eyes popped seeing Celes doing this. She quickly ran into the Diner, her feet scrambling as she tried to find the baseball bat that they had kept behind the counter since the night Celes almost got robbed.

"Don't even fucking think about it!" Celes barked at Billy. The big sister role was quickly coming back into play to her when it came to Brayden. Keaton had always watched over him, and she wasn't about to let anyone come near him. Billy stopped suddenly not even realizing she was there. Hearing him even threaten Brayden made her have tunnel vision, something she had never experienced before. "You lay one hand on him, and I swear to God, I will kill you myself!" Her heart was racing not even believing the words that came out of her mouth. Billy's jaw clenched as he towered over her. Joe was on the sidewalk now, standing next to Baggy and Bodie, all their eyes wide. They couldn't tell which one of them was more furious.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Billy barked in her face. She didn't even flinch as she stepped up to him.

"You. Heard. Me." she stated. Billy sniffed and his tilted his head at her.

"You need to mind your fucking buisness when it comes to my brother," he said in a stern voice.

"_Your_ brother?" she asked with a smirk on her face. She spun around pointing at Brayden who stared at her in shock. "That is _my _brother!" Billy's mouth tightened as he placed his hands on her face.

"Don't ever fucking threaten me," he hissed through his teeth. Celes narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't going to let him scare her this time. "Don't _ever_ say those words to me again."

"I am not scared of you," Celes snapped as she saw Billy's eyes become wild.

"You don't want to do this dog," Bodie said in a calm voice stepping beside him. He eyed them both knowing that neither one of them were going to back down. He was more afraid for Celes knowing that Billy was about to come unglued. He knew what Billy could do to her. "Not to _her_." Celes went to say something when her eyes darted to the Diner door as it swung open. Evie came barraling out with the baseball bat in her hands. The first person she saw was Baggy as she took a hard swing hitting him in the arm.

"What the fuck!" Baggy yelled jumping back. Evie had her feet planted on the ground as she held the baseball bat high about to take another whack at him. Billy dropped his hands from Cele's face as he turned around and saw Evie trying to take another swing at him. Baggy grabbed a hold of the bat ripping it out her hands.

"Don't even think about it!" Evie yelled glaring at him before he could even react. Brayden quickly pulled Celes back and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her chest heaving in and out. He had never witnessed her this angry before, it was almost scary. The sound of sirens ripped through the air as Joe looked down the street.

"We gotta go," Joe said quickly knowing someone from inside probably called the cops. Billy turned back to Celes as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't ever come near me or my family again," she warned. The sirens were getting closer now as Bodie patted Billy on the back, telling him it was time to go. He took a few steps back not taking his eyes off of her. "I mean it. Stay _away_!" He turned his head as he stalked back towards his car. Baggy dropped the bat at Evie's feet and took off towards the car. The four of them jumped in, the tires squealing on the pavement as they took off in the opposite direction of the sirens.

"Why the fuck did she hit me?" Baggy spat while rubbing his arm.

"Cause she doesn't like your ass," Bodie said with a laugh. Baggy glared at him and contiuned to rub his arm, cursing under his breath. Billy shoved a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He inhaled a deep drag and stared straight ahead. If it hadn't been for Bodie stepping in, he knew he would have done something horrible to her. Her words were ripping through his head. She never wanted to see him again, and he knew this time she meant it.

–

"Why is it every time one of them comes around, I seem to almost get my ass kicked?" Brayden asked as Celes packed a zip lock bag full of ice.

"Yeah good think big sis over there bailed you out," Evie snickered.

"Evie," Celes warned. She closed the zipper on the bag and handed it to Brayden. He placed it again his mouth and slumped in the kitchen chair. "I knew he wouldn't do anything if I stepped in."

"You knew?" Brayden asked not beliveing her. She shrugged her shoulders walking over to the refridgerator and pulled out a soda. "What the hell was up with the bat?" Celes almost chocked on her soda forgetting that Evie had hit Baggy. "Were you trying out for the minors or something?"

"I don't like him," Evie said simply. She covered her mouth letting out a yawn. "I think I'm going to call it a night." She got out of the chair and walked out of the room as Celes flopped down where she had been sitting.

"You okay?" Brayden asked.

"What do you think?" she asked with a sigh. "How the hell did I end up like this?" He looked down at his hands knowing the obvious answer. Things would have been different if Keaton were still around. It was like a huge elephant in the room kind of deal. Neither one of them had really spoken about him since Brayden came back. It was still a touchy subject after all these years. Celes took a deep breath and stared at him. "You ever think about how life would have been if he hadn't gone into that building?" Brayden looked up at her a smile on his face.

"All the time," he said reaching over and grabbing a cigarette. Celes grabbed his pack and pulled one out for herself. "You know those things are bad for you."

"Shut up," she said with a light laugh and leaned over as he lit her cigarette. "I use to think about it constantly after he died. It drilled through my mind with Luke. Especially every time he would..." her words trailed off as Brayden reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I know," he stated. Celes nodded her head and took a deep drag from her cigarette. They both sat in silence for a minute until Brayden cleared his throat.

"I understand why you went to Luke. I mean...I kind of get it," he said as she stared at him more serious now. "But...why him? Why Billy?" She didn't even have to think before the words flew out of her mouth.

"Because he made me feel safe," she said.

"Safe? Big tall scary guy made you feel safe?" he asked letting out a small laugh. "And I thought I was screwed up in the head." She slapped his hand as he snickered again.

"I'm going to bed," she said stabbing the cigarette out in the ashtray. Brayden said night as she headed out of the kitchen. She stopped and looked back at him.

"What do you think Keaton would think of me?" she asked. There was a silence as Brayden stared at her. "I didn't meant to stump you."

"No," he said shaking his head. "I think he wouldn't care as long as you and Savannah were happy. That's all he ever wanted." She let his words soak in and nodded her head. He smiled at her as she walked out of the room and headed for bed. She couldn't spend her time mopping around over Billy anymore. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but Brayden was right, she needed to be happy again.

—

Celes let out a groan as she stared down at the broken dishes that were laying on the floor. She grabbed the trash can and started to pick up the pieces making sure not to cut herself. Her nerves had been on edge since last night.

"Again?" Big Mike asked as she picked up the last piece of the broken dish. "Not your night, huh?"

"Not my week," Celes mumbled as she pushed the trash can out of the way. The chimes went off as she looked through the window, but she didn't see anyone. She walked around the corner to see a man already sitting on one of the stools at the front counter.

"Hello," she said placing a menu in front of him. He smiled back at her checking her up and down. He was wearing a gray thermal that showed off his build. His dark brown hair was slicked back and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He didn't take his eyes off of her as he picked up the menu.

"You know, a pretty face like yours should smile more often," he said giving her a wink. She let out a little laugh and pulled out her note pad. "See, you know you want too."

"And why's that?" she asked clicking her pen.

"Cause I bet you have a beautiful smile that you want to show me." He raised an eyebrow at her noticing her cheeks starting to turn red. "I'm not trying to embarrass you."

"You're not embarrassing me," she said quickly.

"Then why are you blushing?" he asked with a sly smile on his face. She had to admit, he was good looking. He grinned at her as she finally cracked a smile. "I knew it! Beautiful smile." She rolled her eyes as he let out a chuckle.

"What can I get for you?" she asked.

"Well," he said staring down at the menu. "How about some coffee for now. I'm killing some time." She turned around grabbing the pot of coffee and flip his cup over. "Thanks," he said looking down at her name tag. "_Celes_."

"You're welcome," she said giving him another smile as she walked away. She cleared off the back booths and glanced up at the clock. Only forty more minutes and she could go home. The chimes went off again as she looked over to see Joni walking in with Savannah. Savannah was in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes from being woken up.

"What happened?" Celes asked quickly walking over to them and scooping Savannah up.

"My mom has food poisoning, I'm so sorry but I've got to get to the hospital," Joni said.

"Oh my gosh, is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah I think so, but I've gotta get over there. I just didn't want Savannah to have to be stuck at the hospital with me. Sorry."

"Oh no," Celes said shaking her head. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Tell your mom I hope she gets feeling better." Joni thanked her and quickly walked out of the Diner as Celes placed Savannah in a booth.

"Mommy I'm sleepy," Savannah mumbled pulling her knees up to her chest. "Can we go home?"

"In just a little bit," Celes said. "Why don't you try and sleep here while mommy cleans up?"

"Okay," Savannah said letting out a yawn. She loosened the ties on her cape and sprawled on out the booth, throwing it over her. Celes let out a little snicker, she looked so cute. She walked around the counter noticing the man watching her.

"That you're little girl?" he asked. Celes nodded looking back over at the booth. "She's a cute one."

"Thanks," Celes said then walked in the back to get a broom. Savannah popped her head from the booth and looked around. She spotted the man at the counter and scooted herself out of the seat. He heard her racing up to him as she let out a grunt trying to pull herself up on the stool.

"Need some help?" he asked. Her hands were grasped around the stool with her feet kicking up in the air. She let out a little sigh and looked up at him.

"Yes please," she said as he reached down pulling her up and placing her on the stool. "Thanks." She placed her cape on the counter and smiled a huge smile at him. "My name is Savannah, what's yours?" The man smiled back at her sticking out his hand.

"Marcus," he said shaking her tiny hand. "It's nice to meet you Savannah. Is that your cape?" She nodded her head picking it up and throwing it over her shoulders. He leaned over tying it around her neck. "Are you super hero?"

"Yep. Billy says that when I wear this cape, I can't get hurt. That's my mommy's boyfriend. They kiss a lot. It's gross," she said then scrunched her face. He let out a grunt as she leaned over towards him. "But I think Billy might be a super hero too. He's really strong!"

"Oh really?" he finally asked a small smile on his face. She nodded her head then grabbed the containers of creamers and dumped them onto the counter. Marcus watched her as she carefully placed each creamer on top of one another, trying to form a pyramid. He was surprised to see that Billy had a girlfriend, let alone one with a kid. He never had a problem with Billy when they were younger. Billy stayed on his side of the buisness and Marcus stayed on his. That all changed when Bones decided to start trying to take over. The shots he had ordered his boys to fire at Four Roses were suppose to be a warning. He knew that Billy would react someway, but shooting his cousin Ollie wasn't a smart move. Now that he knew who Celes and Savannah were, Marcus only wanted to get closer to them. A way to show Billy that he wasn't one to be messed with.

"Savannah," Celes said in a tired voice as she approached the counter. She let out a sigh staring down at her daughter.

"She's fine," Marcus said smiling at her.

"Mommy I'm hungry," Savannah said looking up at her.

"No," Celes said. "It's way past your bed time."

"You know," Marcus said. "I'm kind of hungry too. How about an order of fries?." Celes stared at him for a second then nodded her head.

"Are you sure she's not bugging you?" she asked. Marcus shook his head as she walked into the back. She shook the bag of fries in the fryer and hit the button. Big Mike glanced through the window and smiled.

"I swear that daughter of yours makes friends on a daily basis," he said.

"Tell me about," Celes mumbled. After the fryer started beeping, Celes shook them out on a plate and walked out and placed them down on the counter. Savannah eyed them then quickly looked away seeing Celes's eyebrow raise. "Anything else?"

"No," he said pulling the plate up to him.

"Okay, if she starts to bug you, just yell, I'll be in the back cleaning up," Celes said then eyed her daughter again. Savannah smiled an innocent smile at her as Celes turned around and walked to the back. Marcus picked up the ketchup bottle squeezing it on the plate. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Savannah licking her lips staring at the plate. He picked up a fry then scooted the plate over towards her. She looked at him then looked back down at the plate then back at him. He nodded his head as she quickly snatched one off the plate and popped it in her mouth.

"Thanks," she whispered as her hand reached over snatching another fry. They were both almost done eating when Celes came back out and stopped in her tracks. Savannah saw her and jumped off the stool, a fry dangling from her mouth as she darted back towards the booth. Marcus put his hand on his mouth keeping his laughter down. Savannah threw herself in the booth and shut her eyes tight before Celes could even yell at her. Celes shook her head, trying not to laugh.

"That was sneaky," she said pointing at him.

"I'm guilty," he said with a smile. "How much do I owe you?" he asked.

"Just sixy-five cents for the coffee. Fries are on me, since my daughter probably ate more than half of them." Marcus stared at her for a second then shook his head. "What?"

"Well," he said then grinned. "I was getting the nerve to ask for you number until you daughter told me you had a boyfriend." Celes almost said something about Billy, but then stopped herself. She hadn't broken the news to Savannah just yet that her and Billy were no longer together. Savannah had grown so attactched to him. She wanted to make sure she was positive about the break up, and yesterday's events had given her the answer she had been searching for. She stared at him for a minute then scribbled her number down on her note pad.

"I'm not _exactly_ taken," she said sliding the piece of paper across the counter. He grinned at her then stuck it in his pocket.

"Well that's good to hear," he said then stood up. "I'm Marcus by the way." She stopped realizing that she hadn't even asked him her name. She almost felt giddy knowing that she had just given a complete stranger her number. It was something that she had never done. "Have a good night Celes."

"You too," she said watching him walk away. Savannah poked her head up from the counter and waved at him as he smiled back at her Savannah looked back at Celes who had her hands on her hips as she ducked back down, shutting her eyes tight.

Marcus walked out of the Diner and got into his car. He drove out of the parking lot quickly, a grin spread across his face. Joe had been sitting in his vehicle parked to the side as he watched Marcus drive off. He had seen Joni leave the Diner on his way home and noticed Celes's truck was there. He was trying to work up some nerve to ask Celes for some help with Joni. He knew she was the last person she wanted to see because of yesterday. But he had to get Joni back. He was almost up to the door when he spotted Marcus sitting at the counter with Savannah. He quickly got back to his car about to call his brother when he stopped. He didn't want to concern him just yet. Billy was already on edge as it was. Joe knew Celes had no idea who Marcus was or that he was the one responsible for the drive by at the bar. Billy had made it clear to him that Celes was to never know about what they did. Now Marcus knew who she was and Joe knew that his appearance at the Diner was no coincidence.


	13. Filling the Void

1Hope everyone likes it! I was going to make it a lil longer, but got stuck so hopefully the next chapter will be up in a couple days! Thanks again for the awesome reviews! Don't be shy, I love to hear them! lol

**Chapter 13: Filling the Void**

Joe sat at the table at Four Roses, his foot tapping quickly against the floor. He kept glancing over at Billy who looked irritated at the girl that was trying to flirt with him.

"What's wrong with you?" Tommy asked after getting tired of hearing the tapping. Joe quickly stopped, taking one glance at Billy who was now staring at him.

"Nothing," Joe said shrugging then took a drink of his beer. Joe wouldn't meet Billy's gaze anymore, but Billy still stared at him. Billy knew something was going on with his little brother. He had been jumpy all day, and he was beginning to think Joe screwed something up. The girl slung her arm around Billy again, nuzzling her mouth up to his neck as he shrugged her off.

"What's the matter?" she purred in his ear. Billy turned his head and stared at her. Her name was Megan and she had been all over him since he walked in the bar. She wasn't bad looking, a tall slendor blonde. "I know a way to make you feel better." He let out a grunt and pulled out a cigarette.

"I'm sure you do," he mumbled lighting his cigarette. She started to slide her hand over his leg, but Billy quickly grabbed it before she could reach his thigh. He glared at her as she ripped her out of his grasp.

"What the hell!" she snapped. Billy looked right at Bodie who had been talking to Megan's friend.

"Get this bitch out of here," he ordered. He wasn't in the mood, hell he hadn't been in the mood since that day with Celes. Bodie nudged her friend as she quickly got up tugging on Megan's shoulder.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Megan asked bobbing her head around. Billy turned his head towards her with a fierce glare in his eyes. She quickly grabbed her purse off the table and followed her friend to the pool tables.

"So I take it you didn't like her?" Bodie asked then took a drink out of his glass. Billy shrugged his shoulders then leaned back in his chair. He looked back over at Joe who quickly looked away, his foot tapping again against the floor.

"What the fuck is up with you?" Billy asked taking a drag from his cigarette. Joe was still looking the other way, acting as if he didn't hear his brother. "_Joe!_"

"What?" Joe snapped looking at Billy.

"Did you fuck something up?"

"No," Joe mumbled then looked back down. He had been trying all day to some how tell Billy about Marcus. He didn't want to piss his brother off, but he knew Marcus was up to something. If he didn't say anything, and something happen, he knew Billy would kill him.

"Yeah Joe," Bodie quipped in. "You've been jumpy all damn day." Joe glanced at Bodie then back at his brother. Heco and Baggy both took a hint and stood up, walking over to the pool tables where the two girls were.

"It's just that...," Joe started to say then stopped. Billy waved his hand, an annoyed look on his face, commanding his brother to continue. "I went to the Diner last night and Celes was talking to this guy-"

"Who?" Billy snapped. Joe stopped seeing that crazy look growing in his brother's eyes. He couldn't tell him here, not in front of everyone. Celes was the only girl Joe had ever seen Billy care about.

"Some guy," Joe said taking a drink from his beer. "He was flirting with her-"

"You went inside?" Bodie asked knowing that Celes didn't want any of them around.

"No, I was outside. I could just tell though, ya know. She was all smiling and laughing and shit at him. He was sitting there with Savannah, like trying to impress her with liking the kid." Joe regretted even saying those words. Billy's face grew red as he stared at him. "I dunno man, I just thought you should know." Billy sniffed and picked up his glass and downed the rest of the rest the whiskey. He slammed it back down on the table and wiped his mouth. He took a long drag off of his cigarette and looked back over at Joe.

"That all you know?" he asked his jaw clenching. Joe nodded his head cautiously as Billy put out his cigarette and then pulled out another one from his pack. He lit it up and looked back over at Megan and her friend. He blew the smoke out slowly feeling his heart racing. Bodie waved his hand at the waitress and pointed down towards Billy's glass. She quickly came over and placed another one in front of him. Billy picked it up, downing it in one swig. He looked back over at Joe and Bodie and shrugged his shoulders. His face was still red, his jaw clenched as he stared at them.

"Well then," he said taking another long drag. He let out a grunt and tilted his head the side. "I guess that's fucking that." Neither one of them said anything as the waitress came back, delivering him another drink. She had worked there long enough to know when to keep them coming. Billy nodded his head, his hand tightening around the glass. She had clearly told him to stay away, but he kept thinking in the back of his head she'd come around. Billy shook his head, he didn't even want to think about it anymore. He quickly stood up and strided over towards the pool tables where Megan and her friend were. Baggy was trying to say something to Megan when he caught Billy eyeing him. He backed off as Megan looked up at him, her eyes narrowing.

"What?" she snapped.

"Let me get you a drink," he said leaning against the pool table.

"And why do I want to do that?" she asked cooly, a smirk on her face. He could tell she was already drunk, and it obviously didn't take much to get back on her good side.

"Because I'm offering," he replied simply. She bit back her lip then finally nodded her head, the flirty smile back on her face. He waved his hand at the waitress pointing at the drink in her hand. She came back in a few minutes handing Megan the new drink.

"So you in a better mood?" she asked leaning next to him as she took a sip from her drink.

"No," he said now standing in front of her. "But I could be." A smirk grew on his face as she pulled him closer to her. Joe and Bodie both raised an eyebrow at each other back at the table. Joe grabbed Billy's pack and lit a cigarette up.

"You gonna tell me who the guy was?" Bodie asked setting down his drink. Bodie knew Joe was keeping something back, and he knew Billy would have caught it too if he wasn't already half way drunk.

"It was Marcus," Joe said in a low voice. Both of Bodie's eyebrow rose as he stared at Joe. "Yeah _that_ Marcus."

"And you're not going to fucking tell him that?" Bodie asked sharply.

"You wanna tell him?" Joe asked. Bodie stopped knowing what he was getting at. "I'll tell him later, when he's sober. When he can think straight." Bodie grunted knowing that it didn't matter if Billy was drunk or not, the news wasn't going to come lightly to him.

"Tell me how he can tell her to fuck off and she goes right back to him?" Baggy grumbled sitting down at the table. He lit up a cigarette, a pissy look on his face as Bodie shrugged his shoulders. He went to quip a comment when he noticed Joni walking through the door. He smacked Joe and pointed towards her. She stood there glancing around the bar then finally looked where Joe was sitting. A smile crept on his face as he quickly stood up.

"What she doing here?" Baggy asked.

"I asked her," Joe said. "We're...going to talk." He had called Joni earlier that morning, paretically begging her to come to the bar and at least talk to him. She had finally agreed, but Joe could tell she was having second thoughts as she walked over to them. She pulled up a seat next to Baggy and smiled a little. Joe sat back down about to offer a drink when he noticed her staring over at the pool tables. Billy was sitting down in a chair, his side towards them as Megan was on his lap. She had her hands on his face both of them locked in a kiss while her hips slowly moved against his body.

"Who the hell is that?" Joni asked snapping her head towards the guys.

"Some girl," Joe said quickly. He had forgotten all about Billy once he seen her walk in. Now he wished he would have just met her at the door. She looked back at the girl and rolled her eyes.

"Well she looks like a _slut_," Joni spat a little too loud. Billy broke away from Megan and looked over recognizing the voice. He stared at Joni, confused of why she was in the bar, then glared at her. It wasn't any of her buisness now who he was with. He could tell by the look Joe was giving him that he didn't want him to start anything. Megan glanced over to where Billy was looking at and looked back at him.

"Who's that?" she asked in a jealous voice.

"My brother's girl," Billy mumbled. She nodded her head, moving her mouth closer to his, but he stopped her. "Let's leave." She smiled as she climbed off his lap and waited for him to stand up. Joni watched them with her eyes still narrowed as they walked out of the bar.

"Hhhmm," Joni said crossing her arms over her chest. Joe eyed Baggy and Bodie both as they both got up to leave the two of them alone. Joni watched them walk away then looked back at Joe, running her hand through her hair. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well," Joe said clearing his throat. He could see all the guys looking at him, chuckling at how nervous he was. "How about we talk somewhere else." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Please, I just want to talk."

"Fine," she said standing up. He put his hand on her back guiding her towards the door and looked back at the guys and glared. Bodie hit Baggy, letting out a loud laugh as Baggy raised his hand, snapping it back like Joe was whipped. Joe turned around, scratching his head and flipped them off as they walked out the door. It was dark now as Joe headed towards his car. Joni went around the passenger side, her stomach in knots. She had missed Joe, but at the same time she wasn't for sure if she wanted to be with him. Joni opened the car door when she heard something and turned her head. The parking lot was mainly bare, but Billy's car was parked only a few spots away and nothing was blocking what Joni was seeing. Joni squinted her eyes trying to make out the shadows in Billy's car. Her eyes widened when she realized what she was witnessing. Megan sat up, her hand hitting the window. She could see the smirk on Billy's face as Megan started moving her body. Joni quickly spun around, her cheeks growing red as she slipped into the car. Joe looked over at her and stared.

"What?" Joe asked.

"Just," she was fumbling her words now knowing she should have not seen what she did. "Just go. Let's just go okay?" Joe started up the car giving her a funny look and put it in reverse. She put her elbow up on the window seal, her face in her hand as she looked straight ahead. They were on the road now as Joe finally cleared his throat again. She had almost forgotten why she was even in the car with him.

"I just want you to know," he started to say. "I mean, with what happened..."

"Which time?" Joni asked a huff in her voice. "With you attacking Brayden or with the," her voice grew low. "Or what happened with me being pregnant?" Joe didn't say anything as he lit up a cigarette.

"Both," he finally said. "I'm just sorry, about everything. All right? I saw Brayden and I just fucking snapped. I know I'm an asshole, I shouldn't have shoved you."

"And the baby?" Joni asked staring at him.

"That wasn't all me Joni," he said with a low voice. She bit back her lip knowing that it hadn't been. "You regret it don't you?" She nodded her head not looking at him now. He placed his hand down on her knee and lightly squeezed it. "I just want us to start over." Joni looked at him now, seeing this was something he really wanted.

"I don't know," she said.

"Will you at least think about it?" Joe asked her. His eyes were pleading at her now. She nodded her head. "You want me to take you back to the bar?" She was about to say yes, give her time to think things through, but she didn't want to go back there with Billy being in the car with that girl.

"No," she said quickly. He stayed silent for a second then glanced back over at her.

"You want to go get something to eat?" he asked. He knew he would be pushing it to have her come back to his place. He squeezed her knee again and took another drag off his cigarette. "You know I love you right?"

"I know," she said finally showing him a true smile.

Billy stepped out of his car and zipped up his pants. He lit a cigarette as Megan stumbled out the car. She let out a giggle as she gripped onto the car for support. Billy didn't look back at her as he started heading back towards the bar. He looked over noticing that Joe's car was gone and glanced over to the other side of the parking lot spotting Joni's. He stopped for a second, wondering if maybe they had seen him with Megan. He shook his head, realizing that it didn't matter anymore. He heard Megan stumbling up behind him as she crashed into him, letting out another giggle. He turned around, taking her by the elbow and guided her back into the bar. Bodie, Tommy, and Baggy sat at the table with Megan's friend, a smirk on all the guys' faces. Bodie had his arm around the girl as she looked up at Megan and let out a laugh.

"Someone had fun," she said as Megan sat down in the chair next to her. Billy sat down and flicked his ashes into the ash tray.

"Where's Joe?" he asked as Megan placed her head down on his shoulder. He ignored her and stared at Bodie.

"Joni and him went to talk," Bodie said.

"Your brother's got it bad," Baggy said with a laugh. "Just about as bad as you-" He stopped himself seeing the glare coming from Billy's eyes. Megan's friend glanced down at her watch and mumbled something. She stood up and pulled on Megan's arm.

"Leaving already?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah I've got to be at work early," she said then turned to Bodie. "Call me?" Bodie nodded his head as Megan stood up. Her lips pressed against Billy's cheek as an irritated look spread across his face. He didn't say anything as she stumbled out with her friend.

"What was Megan's friend's name again?" Baggy asked looking at Bodie.

"Got no fucking clue," Bodie said shoving her number in his pocket. "She'd be good for a late night though." The boys busted out with a laughter as Billy let out a little chuckle.

—

"Um...well," Celes could feel her face blushing as she pulled her knees up to her chest. She was sitting on the couch, her head perched to the side holding the phone on her shoulder. Brayden and Evie were both eyeing her now. "I don't know if I'll have a sitter."

"That's a shame," Marcus said on the other end of the phone. " I was really hoping I could see you this weekend." Celes's finger was twirling her hair around as she glanced up at Brayden. He was cocking his eyebrow at her, an odd expression on his face. She looked like a little school girl, her eyes were giddy, with a smile crept on her face. "I promise you'll have a good time."

"Well..I should be able to find someone. Just for a few hours maybe," she finally said.

"So how about I come pick you up around seven tomorrow night?"

"Okay," she said. She gave him directions to her house and said goodbye letting the phone drop to her lap.

"Did you just get asked out on a date?" Evie asked staring at her. Celes nodded her head and grinned. "By the guy that came into the Diner last night?"

"Yes!" Celes almost squealed. Brayden rolled his eyes as Celes chucked a pillow at him. "One problem though, I need a sitter for tomorrow night."

"I'm going to go see my dad tomorrow," Brayden said as Celes stared at him

"Really?" Celes asked.

"Yeah," Brayden said shrugging. "I might as well make an appearance, don't know if he'll even notice me around. But if it's cool with you, I mean...I could take Savannah. He hasn't seen her in..."

"Almost a year," Celes added. Brayden's father, George had never been a big part in Savannah's life. They would visit him sometimes on Christmas only staying for about an hour. It wasn't that he was exactly a cold man, it was just that he didn't seem to want to ever be bothered. He had always been like that since his wife died. Hardly ever smiling, ever really paying attention to either of his sons.

"Oh! Let me come too!" Evie said throwing her hands up in the air. Brayden looked over at her giving her a funny look. "What? I've got nothing to do tomorrow. I'll be fun, road trip!"

"Yeah I can feel the fun already," Brayden mumbled as Evie chucked another pillow at him. He blocked it off with his arm and laughed. "What do you say Celes?"

"Sure," she said. "I think it'll be good for Savannah, but Evie's driving." She got off from the couch and started walking into the kitchen.

"And what's wrong with my driving?" Brayden asked.

"Do you remember what happened to my old Honda?" Celes asked from the kitchen. Brayden's face formed an o shape as Evie let out a snicker. "Exactly!"

—

Celes sat indian style on her bed as Evie started chucking clothes from her closet. It was the next morning and now she was thinking that Evie was more excited than she was about her date. She held up a sleeveless red top that v-downed in the middle.

"What about this? You'll show minor cleavage so you don't look like you're just out to get laid," she said. "Wait, are you going to sleep with him?"

"Evie!" Celes said. "It's the first date!" Evie shrugged throwing the shirt on the bed.

"Hey I'm just saying, you said you wanted a fresh start here. And now that you're not with tattoo-psycho-boy..." Evie raised her eyebrows up and down fast making Celes laugh. "And you said Marcus was good looking!"

"He _is_ good looking," Celes said with a smile.

Evie let out a squeal as she pulled out a pair of jeans and grabbed a pair of black boots with a little bit of a heel. There was a knock at the door as the girls both glanced at each other. They were in their pajamas still as they walked into the living room. Savannah was sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal. Brayden came out of the bathroom and leaned against the living room entrance yawning. Evie looked at him and put her hands on his hips. He was scratching his head wearing only a pair of cream colored long johns.

"Go put some damn clothes on," she snipped as Celes glanced back letting out a laugh. He looked at both of them and shrugged.

"I just woke up," he said his voice still raspy. A smirk grew on his face. "I saw you staring." Evie's eyes bugged out as he turned around heading towards the hallway closet where he kept his clothes.

"I was _not _starring" she shouted finally finding the words to yell. Celes busted out laughing as she turned the door knob to find Joni on the other side of the door holding a white paper bag.

"Morning," she sang. "I brought breakfast" She stepped in as Evie eyed her. She knew Joni better than Celes, and Joni only brought breakfast when she trying to butter you up for something. The first thing that Evie really noticed was that Joni had a smile on her face. The care free smile she use to have.

"What's going on?" Evie asked opening the bag and pulling out a glazed doughnut.

"What do you mean?" Joni asked plopping a doughnut hole in her mouth. Savannah came running into the kitchen. She climbed up on the chair, her eyes wide as she stuck her hand in the bag pulling out a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles.

"Hi Joni," Savannah said smiling. "Uncle Brayden and Aunt Evie are going to take me to see my grandpa today."

"Are they?" she asked. "Where's your mommy going to go?" Savannah shrugged then jumped off the chair and went back into the living room to watch cartoons.

"Okay what's up?" Evie said her hand on her hip as Brayden walked back in the kitchen. Evie glanced over making sure he had clothes on when he winked at her. She scowled at him then looked back at Joni.

"Okay fine," Joni said throwing her hands up in the air as Celes was slapping Brayden's hand away from grabbing the last doughnut. "I talked to Joe last night!" Celes already had some of the doughnut shoved in her mouth and started to choke. She rushed over to the trash can and spit it out.

"You what?" Celes asked.

"He called me and asked me to meet him at Four Roses, and I did. And we then we ended up going on a drive, and I didn't want to go back to the bar, so we went and got something to eat. He apologized for everything and we had a really good talk about...well you _know_," she didn't want to mention anything about a baby with Savannah around. "He wants us to just start over. And...I'm going to go see him again today, and I have no idea if I'm even doing the right thing, so I need to know your opinion."

"Count me out of this one," Brayden said grabbing a box of cereal from the cabinet. "I'll be in the living room watching cartoons."

"You want my honest opinion?" Evie asked as Brayden walked past her.

"No, I want Celes's opinion," Joni said as Evie gaped at her. "No offence, you're just going to tell me I'm an idiot." Evie shrugged knowing it was exactly what she was going to say. "What do you think Celes? I mean you kind of know what I mean, right?" Celes nodded her head and bit back her lip.

"I know Joe loves you," she said as Joni smiled. "It's always showed, but I think you should at least wait a few days before you fully make up your mind. Make sure that he actually means everything he said to you" Joni nodded her head. "Either way, _I_ support your decision." Evie let out a huff and rolled her eyes.

"Why didn't you go back to the bar?" Evie asked as Joni stared at her confused. "You said that you guys went on a drive, but you didn't want to go back to the bar."

"No, there was some dumb girl there that was all over-" Joni stopped herself realizing what she was about to say. Celes's face dropped catching on quickly of why Joni didn't finish her sentence. "Shit! I'm sorry Celes." It felt like someone had stabbed Celes in the chest. She knew that she was going on a date tonight, but just knowing some girl was with Billy hurt her. "She was a total slut any ways," Evie smacked Joni on the arm. "What? She was practically grinding-" she stopped herself again as Celes stared at her. "You're _way _prettier than her. The girl was a total skank."

"Doesn't matter," Evie cut in. "Because Celes has a hot date tonight. And get this, she just met him last night."

"Seriously?" Joni asked. "How not so you! What are you going to wear?" Joni and Evie followed Celes into her room as she told Joni about meeting Marcus. She knew that the girls were acting extra giddy about it to help coat over the blow she had just found out about Billy. She almost wanted to ask Joni more questions, but stopped herself. She couldn't let it bother her, not tonight. After all, it had been her decision to let him go in the first place.

—

Celes's heart was racing as they drove towards the resturant. All ready Marcus was making her laugh, cutting out all the awkwardness of a first date. He parked the car, quickly getting out. She had her hand on the handle as he came around the car and smiled at her. He opened the door for her as she stepped out smiling at him. She couldn't even remember the last time someone had actually opened a car door for her.

"I hope you like Italian," he said opening the door and letting her step in first.

"I do," she said as they walked up to the host. Celes glanced around, the resturant had an old Italian feel to it. There weren't many people inside, a few tables were taken up, and two men sat at the bar.

"Table for two Marcus?" the lady asked. He nodded his head as they walked to a table in the back. Marcus pulled out her seat for her as she sat down.

"I take it you've been here before?" she asked.

"You could say that," he said sitting down across from her. They both looked down at their menus, debating on what to order. They made small talk while waiting for their food. Marcus told her about himself, how he grew up mainly in foster care until he was adopted. He went on about how his adopted mother was probably the sweetest lady in the entire world. Celes smiled at this as he talked more about her.

"I don't know who I'd be without her," he said as the food came. "So what about you? When did you move to the city?" She told him about leaving Lucas, leaving out the major details, not wanting to tell him exactly what happened. "Then my friend Evie convinced me to move up here, and here I am."

"Well I'll have to thank her," he said as Celes tilted her head. "Cause then I wouldn't have been able to have met you." Celes blushed as she gave her another grin. He started asking questions about Savannah, and she found herself rambling on.

"Sorry," she said as he laughed.

"It's okay," he said taking a drink from his glass. "She's a beautiful little girl, and she gets it all from you." Celes could feel her face blushing again. She wasn't use to this at all, but she found it easy to talk to him. She didn't feel stupid for rambling on, like she did sometimes when she was with Billy.

"What about Savannah's father?" he asked as Celes's face dropped a little. "Oh, wrong question?" She shook her head and told him about Keaton. Her hand was on the table as he slid his arm over, placing his hand on hers. "He sounds like he was a really great guy." She nodded her head as he quickly changed the subject knowing she didn't want to talk about it anymore. The night went on, the two of them talking, well past after their plates had already been cleared off the table. Marcus finally glanced down at his watch and looked at her.

"What time do you have the sitter till?" he asked.

"Oh," she said. "Savannah's uncle took her back home to see her grandpa, so I really don't have a time limit."

"Well, do you want to come back to my place for a few drinks?" he asked. "Or should I not push it?" She laughed then finally nodded her head. Evie was right, she had came here to start a new beginning and she didn't want the night to end just yet.

They pulled up to Marcus's apartment, as he quickly came around opening the door for her. She smiled again as they headed up to his place. He unlocked the door letting her step in first as he flicked on the lights. She glanced around his place in aw. The apartment was big, and the living room had big black leather furniture and a plasma TV hanging on the wall.

"What did you say you did again?" she asked looking around.

"You can call me an entrepreneur," he said walking over toward the kitchen.

"I need to look into that," Celes mumbled as he let out a laugh.

"Okay so I have some wine, scotch," he started to ramble on as Celes approached the bar he had set up.

"Surprise me," she said.

"All right then," he said giving her a wink. He poured a dark liquor into a glass and handed it to her. She took a drink of it, it went down smooth and she smiled. He poured himself a glass as they went into the living room, sitting down on the couch. An hour had passed and Celes was amazed that they could actually find more things to talk about. She was already on her third glass, feeling really buzzed and started to giggle at something Marcus said. He leaned in, his arm up around the couch and kissed her gently on the lips. She was taken back by it, as he pulled back a little, their mouths only inches away.

"Too quick?" he asked as she grinned at him. She shook her head placing her hand on his face and pulling him back to her. His hand slid up her arm as he kissed her deeper. She could feel herself blushing and knew it wasn't from just the alcohol. He leaned into her now, his body against hers as their kiss grew more passionate. She found herself now laying down on the couch, his hands roaming. She let out a moan, as his lips nuzzled against her neck. She reached down pulling his shirt over and stared at his bare chest. He was built, a six pack showing as he grinned down at her.

"You sure about this?" he asked. She nodded her head as he leaned back in giving her another passionate kiss. His hands wrapped around her waist as he pulled her up from the couch. Her legs were wrapped around his waist as he stumbled a few steps walking into his bedroom. Their lips never left each other as she found herself now laying on his bed. He pulled her shirt off quickly then unsnapped her bare and grinned.

"You're beautiful," he whispered in her ear as a chill ran up her spine. He unbutton her jeans as she took a small breath and reached over undoing his. She let out a moan as he entered her, his lips kissing her chest. It surprised her how gentle he was, but she could feel herself showing a grin. She bit his lip as his thrusts turned faster, her back arched, not being able to control the moaning that was slipping from her lips. After they were finished he rolled over both of them trying to catch their breath. He wrapped his arm around her pulling her close to him as he kissed her forehead. She looked up at him, a grin spread across his face as she kissed his lips. They both were smiling as she glanced over at his clock, 1:15 AM. He glanced over and looked back at her.

"Need to go home?" he asked. She didn't want to leave, but she knew she had to be at work at seven..

"I think so," she finally said as he kissed her again. They both got dressed and headed down to his car. As they drove back, Marcus kept one hand on her knee, her fingers intertwining with his as he pulled up to her house.

"So would it be all right if I called you again?" he asked grinning at her. She nodded her head as he leaned over giving her a kissed goodnight. Marcus watched her as she went up the walk way and chuckled at himself. He glanced in the rearview mirror seeing a car speeding down the street. He looked at the corner of his eye seeing the black mustang with red tribal symbols pass by. He grinned knowing that Billy wouldn't recognize the vehicle he was driving or see through the tinted windows. The one thing he knew well about Billy was his jealously for anything. Since Celes had been Billy's from the start, he knew that it would eat at him.

Billy slowed down seeing Celes reach the steps of her house. The porch light was on, a smile spread across her face as he looked over at the silver SUV. He knew it had to be the guy that Joe was talking about, and he could feel his breathing quicken. He couldn't get a good look into the car as he glanced once more at her doorway. She was slowly turning her head as he gunned the gas, his jaw clenched.

Celes snapped her head around and looked down the street, knowing it had been Billy's car passing by. She quickly turned her head, giving Marcus a short wave as he drove off. She stepped inside, shutting the door lightly. She wasn't going to let Billy even enter her mind. For once she had found a decent guy and he wasn't going to ruin that for her.

Billy quickly took a sharp left, going around the block to follow the guy, but when he reached her street again, the silver SUV was out of sight. He slammed his hands down on the steer wheeling cursing under his breath. He lit up the cigarette, taking a deep drag as he passed her house once more, and saw the porch light turn off. He thought he could let her go, go back to his normal life. His normal self of not giving a damn about anything or anyone. Even sleeping with Megan didn't ease anything, all last night did was give him a horrible hangover. That morning it became clear to him of how badly he needed her and Savannah back into his life. He had never loved anyone or cared about anyone this much before. He knew he had to get her back, not matter what the cost was.


	14. All a Game

1**Chapter 14: All a Game**

Celes walked into the kitchen, her feet scooting against the floor as she rubbed her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep, her mind racing about her night with Marcus. She was never one to jump the gun, but she didn't regret anything that happened last night. Evie and Brayden were both at the kitchen table and Evie looked up giving her a questioning look.

"What?" Celes mumbled walking over to the refridgerator and grabbed the carton of orange juice.

"So what time did you come in last night?" Evie asked. Celes shrugged, but she couldn't help but give her a sly smile.

"You didn't!" she yelled jumping out of her chair. Brayden looked up, a confused on his face as he glanced at both of the girls and took a bite out of his cereal.

"Didn't do what?" he muttered in between smacking his cereal . Evie's arm flung out as she pointed her finger at Celes. Celes knew her face was red now as she let out a giggle.

"She slept with him!" Evie declared. Brayden's jaw dropped as the spoon fell out of his hand. He quickly plugged his ears and jumped out of his seat.

"La! La! La!" he sang practically running out of the kitchen. The last thing he wanted to hear was anything involving Celes's sex life. Celes laughed then pulled up a seat at the kitchen table, dipping the spoon into Brayden's cereal.

"I cannot believe it!" Evie yelled.

"Okay," Celes said motioning her hand down. "Let's bring it down a notch, I don't want Savannah to over hear this." Evie jumped back into her chair, scooting it close to the table.

"I want to hear everything, and when I say everything, I mean _everything_," Evie said her eyes wide.

"He took me to this Italian resturant, and kept opening doors, which hasn't happened to me in forever," Celes said. "And it was perfect Evie. I mean seriously, one of the best dates I've ever had. He actually listened, and he was funny, and charming, and..." Celes sighed. a grin on her face.

"Get to the good part! How was _it_?" Evie asked.

"Amazing," Celes gushed as Evie let out a squeal.

"So...is there going to be another date?"

"I think so, I mean I hope so. He asked me too," Celes said as Evie let out another squeal. This time Celes joined in on the squealing as Evie clapped her hands. She hadn't seen Celes this giddy about a guy since high school.

"Look at you! You're glowing!" Evie exclaimed. "I am so happy for you!" Evie rushed around the table embracing Celes in a hug. Brayden walked back into the kitchen, his stomach growling.

His fingers were still plugged into his ears.

"Are you done talking about things that are going to gross me out?" he shouted as the girls quickly looked at him. He hadn't realized how loud he was talking as they both busted out laughing. He slowly moved his fingers out of his ears and walked over snatching his bowl back from Celes. Evie looked at him, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"And it was this big," she said slowly spreading her fingers.

"Dammit!" Brayden yelled stomping out of the room. The girls busted out in laughter again as a knock came to the door.

"Probably Joni," Evie said walking to the door. Brayden was on the couch giving her a glare as he shoved the spoon in his mouth. Evie opened the door to see a shorter guy with black hair standing with a long box in his hands.

"Delivery for Celes Walker," he said handing over the box to Evie. She quickly signed her name, kicking the door shut with her foot.

"Are these?" Evie said a shocked look on her face. She had to admit, the guy was even impressing her and she hadn't even met him yet. Celes quickly grabbed the box from her and placed it down on the recliner. Brayden rolled his eyes not enjoying the girl moment at all. Celes pulled back the tissue paper and pulled out three Calla Lilies wrapped together in a lavender bow. Her face dropped, her cheeks growing red again as she stared at Evie. Calla Lilies were her favorite flower, and through all her blabbering last night, he must have remembered.

"Open the card!" Evie said her hands flapping around.

"You two are pathetic," Brayden mumbled as Evie reached over slapping him in the back of the head. Milk split out of the bowl and onto his lap as he cursed under his breath. Celes hurried and opened the envelope.

"Cannot wait to see you again..." she said then let out a squeal, her feet jumping in place. Evie grabbed her hands as they both jumped around squealing their heads off.

"Are you serious?" Brayden said staring in shock. It was like watching two sixteen years old. Savannah came darting into the living room, her brown curls bouncing as she dove onto the couch next to Brayden.

"Hi Uncle Brayden!" she said cheerfully as she leaned over him looking down into his bowl, a smile on her face. Brayden shook his head and handed over his cereal bowl with a sigh. Savannah looked up at her mom, an odd expression on her face.

"Why did you get flowers mommy?" she asked. Celes stopped not even realizing her daughter had been in the room. She placed the card down on the end table and sat down next to Savannah.

"They're from a friend," Celes said smoothing down her curls that were flying around from sleeping.

"Billy?" Savannah asked shoving the spoon in her mouth.

"No honey," Celes said shaking her head. "They're from a different friend."

"Do you not like Billy anymore?" Savannah asked a frown coming across her face. Celes leaned over kissing her on the forehead. "Is Billy not your boyfriend now?"

"No sweetie he's not," Celes finally said.

"Did he do something bad?" Evie let out a grunt as Celes gave her a warning look. "Was he mean like Luke?" Celes stared down at her daughter in shock. She knew that Savannah wasn't oblivious to what had happened, but she had never once mentioned anything like this before. "Is Billy a bad guy now?"

"No, no," Celes said quickly. Brayden and Evie both exchanged glances as they looked back at Savannah. "No sometimes grown ups just grow apart...Billy and I..."

"You don't love each other anymore?" Savannah asked her head titled to the side. Celes let out a sigh and looked over at Brayden for back up.

"It's not that they don't love each other anymore," Brayden said as Savannah turned her head to look at him. "It just that sometimes grown ups are better off as friends. And your mommy and Billy are just...friends now."

"Oh," Savannah said then tipped up the bowl drinking the rest of the milk. She handed the bowl to Brayden then slid off the couch. "Can Billy still be my friend?"

"If you want him to be," Celes said in an unsure voice. Savannah nodded her head then walked out of the room. Celes let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair and looked back up at Brayden.

"Thanks," she said. She let out a sigh, the thought of Billy hadn't even crossed her mind this morning. In some weird way she felt guilty about having to take him out Savannah's life.

"Don't even," Evie said in a warning tone knowing exactly what Celes was thinking. "Billy is a jerk. The only thing he ever did was make you cry, and you did the right thing by leaving him."

"I know," Celes said softly. She let out a groan realizing she had be to work soon as she quickly walked out of the living room. One thing she did know was that Savannah was not going to meet Marcus until she knew things were actually going somewhere. The last thing she ever wanted to be was her own mother.

—

Brayden flipped on the radio, letting the music blare as he reached over and buckled Savannah in. She scrunched her face and placed her hands over her ears.

"That's loud!" she yelled. Brayden let out a laugh and turned down the volume and backed out of the driveway. Savannah dropped her hands as and looked over at her uncle. "I don't like this."

"You don't like the Ramones?" Brayden asked as he drove towards the gas station.

"It's too noisy," Savannah said then made another face.

"The noise is the best part," Brayden said giving her a wink. She shook her head at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm giving you a musical experience here. This music will change your life." Savannah stared at him a confused look on her face as he let out another loud laugh. They pulled up to the gas station as Savannah unbuckled herself and followed Brayden out of the car.

"You want a slurpie?" he asked.

"Yes!" she shouted racing into the gas station. Brayden caught up with her as they went over to the machine. She watched in awe at the slush turning around as Brayden made her a cup. He handed it down to her. "Can I get a candy bar?" He nodded his head grabbing a cup for himself. She walked over towards the other side of the gas station, sucking down the slurpie. The door opened as she peeked around the corner to see Joe walking in.

"Hi Joe," she said as Joe looked over at her.

"Hey Savannah," he said then looked around to see who she was with. He spotted Brayden and rubbed his hand on her head as he walked towards him. Brayden was filling up his cup when Joe approached him. He looked over and took a step back.

"Listen, about the other day and all," Joe started to say as Brayden realized he was about to apologize to him.

"It's cool," Brayden said before he could apologize. "I mean, I get it." Joe nodded his head and stuck out his hand and Brayden accepted it. Savannah walked towards the door seeing Billy's car out by the gas pumps. She pushed the door open, the gas station clerk not noticing her walking out. Savannah looked both ways then dashed across the parking lot and stepped up on the cement slab as Billy pumped gas into his car.

"Mommy said you're not her boyfriend anymore," Savannah said to him. Billy turned his head and looked down at her. He was surprised to see her as she stared at him, waiting for him to answer.

"No, I'm not kid," Billy finally said. She stuck the straw in her mouth and stared at him for a minute. "Is your mom with you?" She shook her head and pulled the straw out of her mouth.

"Did you make my mommy cry?" she asked a hurt look in her eyes. Billy's face fell as he let go of the pump. "I heard Aunt Evie and mommy talking about you. Aunt Evie said you were a jerk and that all you did was make mommy cry." Billy took off his sunglasses and hunched down to her. He felt like something was lodged in his throat. "Are you a jerk?"

"Listen kid," Billy started to say. He could tell she was getting upset now, her bottom lip was starting to quiver.

"Savannah!" someone shouted as Billy stood up looking over to see Brayden and Joe both standing out on the walkway. Savannah stepped back and shouted at him. He dashed over to her and scooped her up.

"You can't take off like that Savannah," Brayden said. His chest was rising up and down trying to calm himself down. He had threw himself in a panic when he couldn't find her in the store. He glanced over at Billy who was staring right at him. Billy narrowed his eyes as Joe mumbled something to his brother. Brayden walked over to the car, strapping Savannah in. He shut the door and looked up to see Billy was walking past his car.

"You need to keep a better fucking eye on her!" Billy spat pointing at Brayden. His jaw was clenched as Brayden opened his mouth to say something, but Billy turned his head and stepped inside the convenient store.

—

Celes tried to catch her breath as Marcus pulled her close kissing her neck. She pulled the sheets up on both of them as he ran his fingers through her hair. Neither one of them said anything as Celes glanced up at him. He was gazing at her and she let out a giggle.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Because you're staring at me," she replied a smirk on her face.

"Well it's hard not too because you're so beautiful," he said giving her a wink. Celes could feel her face growing warm as she placed a hand on his face and kissed him.

"You're not too bad looking yourself," she said giving him a smirk. He raised an eyebrow at her and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him. She let out another giggle as he cupped her face placing his lips on hers. His kiss deepened sending chills through her body. She broke away knowing that she had to get home soon. Evie had agreed to babysit for only a few hours before she went out for the night. The only thing she really wanted to do was lay next to him. She rolled over as he leaned up looking down at her.

"You know I've never met anyone like you before," he said brushing away a few strands from her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked puzzled.

"I've never been able to open up to someone so quickly like I do with you," he said then kissed her lips. "Never met someone who I could trust so easily." She smiled up at him, a nervous look in her eyes. "I really care for you Celes." He kissed her lips again as her eyes darted. She didn't know what to say to him. "I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable. And I know you don't want to rush into things because of your daughter and I respect that." She moved her head a little and stared at him. "Did I say the wrong thing?"

"No," she said softly and kissed him. "Not at all." While she kissed him, she couldn't help but smile. It had only been a week since their first date, but things were slowly staring to feel normal for once. It was different with him, there was no yelling or unanswered questions. Although it had only been a week Celes knew that there was something between them. She had been too scared to even think about it, until he had said that to her. The way he looked at her, the way he treated her, was something that she could get use too.

—

Celes and Evie were leaning against the counter the next day at the Diner. The place had been dead all morning and it was already one in the afternoon, and only four tables were taken up. At first Big Mike told them to do something, anything, but he was soon sitting in the back playing a hand held poker game. Evie dumped out her cup and counted her tips.

"Ten dollars," she whined. "Ten lousy friggin dollars."

"Ha!" Celes said shaking her tip cup. "I beat you by ten cents."

"Bitch," Evie said which made both of the girls crack up.

"You want to split some fries? I am starving." Evie nodded her head as Celes went into the back. Big Mike glanced up when Celes told him she was just making food for herself. He grumbled something about how dead it was and Celes just nodded. One thing she knew was never to interrupt Big Mike when he was playing poker, even if it was on a hand held game. The chimes went off and Evie looked up to see a man walk through. He wore dark jeans, a nice button up shirt, with his hair slicked back. He walked up to the counter and smiled at her.

"What can I get for you?" she asked smiling back at him. She had to admit, he was really good looking.

"Well I'm looking for Celes," he said. Evie's eyes perked up realizing that this had to be Marcus.

"She's in the back," Evie said with a sly smile. "And you are?" He stared at her then glanced down at her name tag recgonizing the name.

"You're the roommate," he said shaking his finger.

"Guilty," she replied. "She'll be out in a minute, so you can take a seat." He nodded his head and sat down on the stool. "So Marcus...you ever been to jail?" Marcus glanced up at her a confused look on his face. Celes had warned him about her, but he didn't expect her to be this blunt.

"No," he said knowing that had been a complete lie.

"Are you married?" she asked as he shook his head no. "Got any kids running around?" He shook his head no again as Evie nodded hers. "Ever been in trouble with the IRS?" He shook his head and laughed. She placed her elbow on the counter and leaned closer to him. A smile crept up on her face as she gave him a quick nod. "Have you been tested positive for any STD's lately?" Marcus's eyes narrowed as Evie smiled back at him innocently.

"Excuse me?" Marcus asked in an annoyed tone. Evie shrugged and pushed herself up from the counter.

"No need to get huffy about it," Evie stated the smirk still on her face. "Unless they're something you care to share." He cleared his throat knowing that he had to get in on her good side.

"I'm clean," he said an irritated look still on his face. Evie smiled as Celes walked around the corner, a plate of fries in her hand. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Marcus sitting at the counter and Evie standing across from him.

"Whatareyoudoinghere?" she asked so quickly her words didn't even make sense.

"Thought I would surprise you," he said smiling. Celes smiled back at him then quickly looked over at Evie giving her famous "What have you done?" look.

"What? We were just enjoying a nice conversation," Evie said then looked at Marcus. "Weren't we Marcus?"

"I think _interesting_ would be the right word," Marcus said flatly as Evie smirked even more.

"Well this is a surprise," Celes said brushing her hair out of her face. Evie took a step back, an amused look on her face as she watched the two of them. Celes gave her a look to take a hike, but Evie didn't budge.

"Sorry," Celes said in a low voice as Marcus smiled at her placing his hands on hers. He gave her a wink telling her not to worry about it.

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said.

"Well, a few of my friends are going to get together and hang out, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us." She bit back her lip as Evie put her hands on her hips waiting for her to ask. Marcus caught on quickly of what was going on. He leaned to the left and looked at Evie.

"Would you care to watch Savannah while Celes hangs out with me tonight?"

"Well," Evie said. "Since I don't hate you _yet_, I think I could watch her for a couple of hours."

"Thank you," Marcus said then looked back at Celes. "How about I pick you up around seven or so?"

"I'll see you then," she said as he stood up and kissed her. He squeezed her hand then turned around walking out of the Diner. Celes turned around as Evie let out a squeal.

"He's cute! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," Celes said rolling her eyes. "So you really think he's cute?" Evie nodded her head quickly a wide spread grin on her face. "Brayden is right, I'm acting like a dumb teenager."

"Oh screw Mr. Wannabee Rockstar, I think it's great! You need to be happy." Celes stopped remembering her conversation with Brayden. He was right and she was right. She needed to be happy. She glanced out at the parking lot seeing Marcus step into a black Cutless. A smile spread across her face knowing that she was happy for once.

—

Celes tipped back her drink, swallowing the whisky that Marcus had poured for her. They had been there for an hour or so, but she was already feeling buzzed. Marcus took the drink out of her hand as she leaned up against the pool table. She was surprised to see that the hang out had actually been at the Itailian resturant. There was a large room in the back with two pool tables, a couple of bar stools, and a desk in the left corner. Marcus had explained that his family had owned the resturant before he was even born.

"Having fun yet?" he asked as she grinned back at him. There were a couple of guys in the room, but hardly any of them had spoken to her. At first she had felt a little uncomfortable, but after a few drinks, she didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah," she said kissing him. He smiled at her as she moved to the side so he could take his turn at the game. He put her drink on the side and bent over, knocking the eight ball right where he had called it.

"Son of a bitch," a guy named Rick said shaking his head. "Your man is good Celes." Celes smiled as Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "You wanna play?"

"Oh no," Celes shook her head. "I'm horrible at pool."

"Well then you'll make me look good," Rick said giving her a wink. She glanced at Marcus who held out his arm for her to take his pool stick. She shrugged as he grabbed her glass walking towards the door to refill her drink. Rick racked up the balls and told her to take the first shot.

"Don't laugh," she said as serious as she could as she bent over hearing one of the guy's whistle. She shook her head and struck the cue ball sending it across the table. It hardly even knocked the other balls out of place as Rick let out a small laugh. "I told you not to laugh!"

"You are going to make me look good," he said as she stepped aside for him to take his shot. The balls scattered quickly across the table, knocking two solid balls in. Marcus came back in handing Celes her drink as she took a sip out of it. He walked off sitting down on one of the bar stools talking to two other men.

"So how long you been with Marcus?" Rick asked taking another shot.

"Umm," she said placing the glass back down. "Not long at all." He nodded his head knocking another solid ball in.

"He must like you," he said taking another shot. "He doesn't bring many girls here." Celes smiled at this as Rick missed his next shot. "You're up." She walked around trying to steady her hand as she took her shot. She smiled as one of the striped balls went into the pocket.

"How long have you known him?" she asked.

"Shit, since we were kids," Rick said rubbing chalk on his pool stick. "The guy has saved my ass I don't know how many times," he let out a chuckle as Celes looked up at him. "Figure of speaking," he said quickly knowing that she had no idea what Marcus or any of them did. She took another shot, missing and stepped back.

"You get any in babe?" Marcus called out as Celes looked back at him.

"I got one," she said proudly as he let out a laugh. He turned and said something low to the guy on his right. The guy looked back at Celes, a smirk on his face as he let out a laugh. Celes turned around seeing that Rick had sunk in two more balls.

"And how did he beat you?" she asked amazed.

"He just got lucky," Rick said hitting another ball in. The game ended quickly, Celes only getting in her one shot. She sighed setting the pool stick down on the table. "Good thing you didn't bet me."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled finishing off her drink. The door opened as four more guys walked through the door. They were all laughing, two of them giving her curious looks as they walked up to Marcus. They slapped hands with him, both embracing one another in a man hug that Celes never understood. She leaned against the table as Marcus walked over introducing her to the four of them. None of them said anything, all wearing smirks on their faces.

"Nice to meet you," she said her voice a little low as Marcus wrapped his arm around her waist. The guys walked off sitting down at the table that had poker chips and a deck of cards on it.

"Come on," he said dragging her towards the table. "You can be my good luck charm." All the men set down, as Marcus plopped down in his chair. He pulled Celes on his lap as she glanced around. The men started talking about this and that as she sipped on her drink. She kept looking down at Marcus's cards trying to understand the game. Marcus laid down his cards as the men groaned.

"Fuckin' bullshit," one of them spat throwing down his cards.

"What can I say, gotta good luck charm," he said cupping the back of Celes's neck. Celes smiled as she tipped her drink to her mouth. A guy with black hair let out a grunt as he looked over at the guy that had been so pissy about losing.

"Yeah," he said with his voice muffled. "What a good luck charm Darley's girl is." Celes stopped as she slowly pulled the glass from her mouth. Had she just heard him right?

"What did you say?" Celes asked quickly as Marcus's eyes narrowed. Marcus was glaring at him now as Celes stared waiting for him to answer.

"Nothing," the guy mumbled shuffling the deck of cards. "Just not use to having a dame in here, that's all." Celes looked down at Marcus who quickly softened his face as he kissed her lips.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," she said as she climbed out of his lap and walked out of the room. Marcus scooped up his cards from the table, his eyes set in glare at Mikey.

"You gonna watch what you fuckin' say?" Marcus asked his voice stern.

"Sorry," Mikey mumbled placing down his bet. "I didn't think she heard me."

"Well she did," Marcus said slamming down his bet. "Don't fuck this up."

Celes walked into the bathroom brushing her hair out of her face. She stared at herself in the mirror adjusting the tight black shirt that Evie had insisted she wear. She shook her head not believing she actually thought that guy had mentioned Billy's name. What was wrong with her? She had a guy that actually treated her good, but yet her mind kept slipping back to Billy. She glanced down at her watch knowing she only had another hour left before she needed to get home. She walked back into the room slipping into Marcus's lap as Rick pulled in the next winnings. She didn't say anything, but kept looking back at the guy who someone had called Mikey. She knew she was just being crazy, but at the same time, she could have sworn she had heard him right. The game went on, but Celes was starting to feel uneasy. She wasn't for sure if it was the alcohol, but she was noticing the smirk looks still coming her way. Marcus pulled in his final winnings when he looked up at her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "But I think I need to get back." He nodded his head as she stood up and picked up her purse. She mumbled a good bye as Marcus took her hand walking out of the room. They reached the car as Marcus opened the door letting her in. She ran her hands through her hair. She had way too much to drink tonight as Marcus slipped into the driver's seat.

"I gotta stop for gas before I take you home," he said as she nodded. He started up the car and placed his hand on her knee. She smiled at him, feeling her head starting to spin. "Are you going to get sick?" She shook her head no and rolled down her window. "You sure you're going to be okay?" She nodded her head giving him a smile as he headed towards the gas station.

Joni let out a giggle as she climbed into the back of Billy's car, Joe smashing against her. They had been at Four Roses all night, both of them clearly drunk. Bodie slammed the seat back, annoyed at the two of them already. Billy was standing by the door, lighting a cigarette and mumbling something to a girl he had met earlier in the bar. Bodie turned around and smacked Joe in the arm.

"You tell him yet?" he asked. Joe broke away from Joni and shot Bodie a glare.

"What?" he snapped.

"You tell your brother about that shit yet?" Bodie said his eyes narrowing as Joe sighed. "You haven't fucking told him?"

"I haven't found a good time. He's been piss drunk this entire week," Joe said as Joni glanced back and forth at the two of them.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as they both ignored her question. She glanced up seeing Billy walking towards the car.

"You better fucking tell your brother before he finds out on his own. You know it ain't gonna be pretty either way," Bodie said with a stern voice. The windows were down in the car as Billy ripped open his door landing into the driver's seat.

"Tell me what?" Billy demanded slamming the door hard. Joe cursed under his breath as Bodie narrowed his eyes at Joe. Billy put his hand on the steering wheel and turned to look back at his brother. "What?" Joe glanced up at Bodie who shook his head. This was something he needed to hear from Joe. Billy was getting annoyed now as his jaw clenched. He didn't like being kept in the dark about anything. "Will somebody fucking tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"Tell him Joe," Bodie said as Joni still stared at them confused. Billy started up his car, putting it in reverse and taking off out of the parking lot. He grabbed a cigarette and lit it waiting for his brother to say something.

"I seen Marcus hanging around lately," Joe finally said as Billy glanced up in his rear view mirror.

"And?" Billy asked knowing that Marcus was starting to become a problem. Bones kept insisting to expand his buisness, and even after Joe getting shot, he kept pushing it. But that was his father for ya, never giving a damn what the consequences were. "Well what the fuck has he done Joe?" Joni had her hand on on Joe's neck as she glanced between the two of them. Suddenly the name struck a bell to her.

"How do you know about the guy that Celes is dating?" she asked staring at Joe. Billy's eyes bulged as he slammed on the breaks. A car swerved, blaring their horn only missing the vehicle by inches. Joni flew forward as Joe quickly grabbed her jerking her back. Billy's knuckles turned white around the steering wheel as he jerked his head back at Joni.

"What the fuck did you just say?" he barked as she stared at him with wide eyes. She had never seen him this angry before.

"Celes," she stuttered. "She's...she's been on a few dates with some guy named Marcus." Billy slammed his foot on the gas as Bodie gripped onto the side of his seat.

"You fuckin' knew about this?" Billy yelled as Joe tried to come up with some explanation. "You fucking knew and you didn't tell me? Where are they?" No one said anything as Billy punched the steering wheel hard. "_Joni_! Where the fuck are they?"

"I...I don't know," Joni said her heart racing. "What is going on?"

"Just tell him where they are!" Bodie yelled as Joe wrapped his arms around her.

"Evie said she went to go hang out with him and some friends," Joni said flipping open her cell phone. "I'll call the house." She quickly dialed the number as Brayden picked up the phone. He told her that Celes wasn't home yet, but should there any time. Joni hung up the phone before he could ask anymore questiosn. "Brayden said she should be home soon." She looked over at Joe, a scared look in her eyes. "What is going on?"

"I'm going to fuckin' kill him!" Billy yelled shoving another cigarette in his mouth. "He's dead, he's fucking _dead_!" Joni gripped onto Joe's shirt as Billy sped down the street, cutting in and out of traffic.

Marcus pulled up to the gas station and stepped out walking up to the pumps. Celes could feel her stomach churning as she slowly opened the door and stepped out.

"Babe, you sure you're all right?" Marcus asked. She nodded her head and walked around the car, leaning up against the bumper. She just needed some fresh air. Marcus stuck the pump in, and walked around and stood in front of her. "You want me to get you some water?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "I'll be fine once I get home." His hand lightly touched her arm as she smiled at him. "Sorry."

"What for?" he asked kissing the tip of her nose.

"For ruining the night," she mumbled as he let out a laugh.

"You didn't ruin anything," he said kissing her. Even though she felt sick she kissed him back. He leaned into her, placing his hands down on the trunk. Billy was speeding down the street now with his heart racing. The thought of Marcus even coming near her made his blood boil. He had swore he would protect her, and look what was happening. Bodie glanced out his window, his eyes squinting as he spotted a black Cutless parked at the gas station only a few feet in front of the direction they were heading. He slapped Billy on the shoulder and pointed his finger.

"The motherfucker's right there!" Bodie yelled as Billy looked over. He was already passing the entrance as he sharply turned the wheel not even letting his foot off the gas. Billy whipped the car around flying into the parking lot. Marcus broke away from Celes quickly looking over from hearing someone laying on their horn. A smirk grew on his face as he saw the black mustang flying into the parking lot. This moment was exactly what Marcus had been waiting for.


	15. Jealousy

1Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys rooocckkk!! :)

**Chapter 15: Jealousy**

The car came to a screeching halt as Celes opened her eyes. She looked over in the direction Marcus was looking and her heart stopped. Billy stepped out of the car slamming the door behind him. He stood there, his eyes wild staring at the two of them. He sniffed, his hands curled up in fists, as he stalked towards them. Celes could barely feel her fingers as she griped onto Marcus's shirt. She knew that look in his eyes. The look where he wanted to kill someone. She didn't know exactly who that look was intended for.

"Let's go," she said in a panic pulling on his shirt. "Marcus," she said sternly noticing the smirk on his face. She tried to pull on his shirt again when he grabbed her wrists tightly.

"You're fucking dead Marcus!" Billy barked pointing his finger at him. Celes's mouth dropped hearing Billy say his name. How the hell did they know each other?

Joe and Bodie bolted out of the car. Joe quickly spun around, his hands on the door frame. "Stay in here!" he yelled to Joni as he slammed the car door shut. She put her hand on the door handle and looked over to see Billy standing in front of Celes. She didn't know what was going on, but she needed to get Celes away from whatever was about to happen. She opened up the door and quickly jumped out of the car.

Billy was fuming standing in front of them as Marcus wrapped his arms around her tighter. She was pressed against him trying to pull herself away as Marcus stood there giving Billy the same smirk.

"See what I got Darley," he said amused at Billy's anger. He rocked Celes and him back and forth a little. "I fucking told you to back off, but you just wouldn't listen." Celes's jaw dropped, the sick feeling stirring in her stomach as she looked up at Marcus in shock.. This wasn't some mocho game he was trying to pull. His words were hitting her as she quickly realized what had been going on. There had been no mistake that Mikey had mentioned Billy's name back at the resturant. All of them knew that she had once been Billy's girl.

"Get your fuckin' hands off of her," Billy hissed through clenched teeth. Marcus let out a laugh as he pressed his lips against her forehead.

"Get off me!" she screamed struggling with him. Billy's nostrils flared seeing Celes trying to fight back.

"Finder's keeper's," Marcus said making his hold on her tighter. In a split second Billy was slamming his fist into the side of Marcus's face. Marcus stumbled back with Celes still in his grip. Her feet were getting tangled up with his as he tried to get his balance back. Billy grabbed Marcus by the throat slamming him down on the trunk of his car. Celes could feel Marcus's grip loosening as she moved her head quickly to avoid the next punch Billy threw. Marcus kicked Billy back making him drop his hands from his throat.

"Stop it!" Celes screamed pulling all her weight trying to get out of his grasp. Marcus grabbed the back of her neck not letting her get away. Joni suddenly was on the other side of Celes pulling her by the arm and screaming her head off. Joe grabbed her by the waist pulling her back as her feet kicked in the air.

"Get back in the fucking car!" he yelled swinging her around. He needed to help out his brother, but he had to get Joni out of the way first. Billy lurched forward, but Marcus was too quick, upper cutting him in the jaw. Billy stumbled back and spit blood from his mouth. He reached behind his back gripping the gun that was behind his waistband. There was only one way for him to end this.

But Marcus was too quick as Billy saw a gun quickly appear in his hands. He froze seeing Marcus holding the gun against Celes's temple. She let out a whimper feeling the gun pressing against her skin. Her eyes quickly fell on Billy's. She was pleading with him to do something. Anything to save her. He knew if he grabbed his gun, Marcus would shoot her. His eyes darted for a split second to see Bodie sneaking around the front of the car.

"You know Darley," Marcus said pressing the gun hard against her temple. "If I were _you_, I would never have let her go. She's a real beaut, especially when she's laying in bed next to me. I think I might just-" his words were cut as Bodie came around the side of him punching him as hard as he could in the back of the head. Marcus's hand dropped from the back of Celes's neck giving Bodie just enough time to push her out of the way. Marcus stumbled, cursing under his breath, the gun still up in the air as Billy yanked his out.

"Billy no!" Celes screamed as Bodie dragged her back towards the car. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't have all happened as some sick twisted game to get back at Billy. She tried to get out of Bodie's grip, but he wouldn't let her go. She was taking deep breaths, tears streaming down her face as Marcus and Billy both stood in front of one another, their guns straight out. Joe shoved Joni in the back seat and reached out to grab Celes when he saw something in the corner of his eyes. A silver SUV and a black SUV were barrling into the parking lot.

"Bodie!" Joe yelled pulling Celes into the car. Marcus glanced over seeing his boys had finally arrived. Bodie let go of Celes and ran up to Billy.

"We gotta go dog," he said pulling on the back of his shirt. "Billy, there's too fucking many of them."

"This ain't over Darley!" Marcus yelled as Billy quickly backed up, his gun still pointing in Marcus's direction. Marcus knew better than to start shooting in a public place. He had shown Billy that he wasn't going to back down easily to him trying to take over his operation. He would do whatever it took to get his turf back.

Joe shoved Celes in and dove into the back seat with them. She let out a yell as she crashed into Joni. The seat slammed back hitting Joe in the head as Bodie jumped in. Billy was already in the driver's seat stared up his engine and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The car peeled out of the parking lot as Marcus watched them drive away. The sick smirk still spread across his face.

"Are you two okay?" Joe asked quickly. They both nodded their heads as Celes slowly looked up to see Billy's eyes piercing through her. Her heart was pounding so fast that she thought it was going to rip out of her chest.

"What the fuck were you doing with him?" Billy barked. She couldn't even find the words to respond to him. Her head was spinning and she was trying to control her tears. "Is this your way of getting back at me?" Bodie quickly grabbed the wheel as the car swerved out of the middle of the road. Celes stared at him, confusion in her eyes. "Answer me dammit!" he screamed slamming his hands down on the steering wheel.

"Getting back at you?" she choked out. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Marcus!" Billy shouted now taking a sharp left heading back to Four Roses. He had to rally up his boys. Marcus had stepped over a line that Billy swore would never be crossed. If Marcus wanted a war, he had gotten one.

"What does Marcus have to do with me trying to get back at you? Why would I need to get back at you?" she asked narrowing her eyes. Billy sniffed taking his eyes off of her. He wouldn't answer her as the car grew silent. Joni stared at both of them. She had never told Celes about Billy being in the car with the girl from the bar. As far as she knew, Billy had no idea that she had seen them. Celes shook her head, not understanding anything he was saying. What she wanted to know was the truth. The truth of what was going on, and why Marcus had used her. "How do you even know him?" Billy popped his neck as his jaw clenched tight.

"He's the motherfucker that shot Joe," Billy hissed through his teeth. Celes's face dropped remembering the shooting. A pain of guilt flew through her. She should have known. She had heard bits and pieces here and there about Marcus's gang. But she had been so fixated on trying to forget him. How could she have been so naive? "Him and his boys almost killed us and you're laying in bed with him?" Billy's voice grew louder now. " Letting him fucking touch you? Do you know what could have fucking happened to you? What could have happened to Savannah?" Celes could feel a rage of anger flowing through her when he mentioned her daughter's name.

"Don't you dare bring my daughter into this!" Celes shouted pointing her finger at him. "I didn't even know who he was!"

"Oh," Billy yelled back. "So you'll just fuck any guy that looks your way?" Billy could see Four Roses only a few blocks away as he looked back into the rear view mirror at her.

"No," she snapped. "But he was actually nice, charming...and he made me laugh." She didn't want to defend Marcus at all. She wasn't taking what he had just said to her lightly. She closed her eyes fighting back the tears. She was so angry now. Angry at herself for being so stupid. But the only person she could focus her anger on was him. A smartass smirk grew on her face. "He was everything that _you_ weren't! So that's why I went to him!" Billy slammed on the breaks, his tires burning against the pavement.

"Get out!" he barked looking straight ahead. Bodie ripped opened the passanger door thankful to be getting out of there. Joe pushed the passenger seat forward as Joni quickly followed behind him. Celes grabbed her purse giving Billy one last glare before she scooted herself across the back seat. She was almost to the door when Billy slammed the seat back trapping her in. She could feel her heart racing again. He was crazy if he thought she would actually stay in the car with him. She quickly gripped onto the sides of both seats and pulled herself forward to climb out the front. Her knee was on top of the middle consel when the car lurched forward. She let out a yell as she grabbed his shoulder trying to catch her balance. The passenger side door slammed shut as he did a quick u-turn. Celes lost her grip and toppled over into the passenger seat. She cranked her neck to see Joni pointing with her mouth wide open as Joe threw his hands in the air. She snapped her head towards him and slapped Billy's arm.

"Stop the car!" she yelled. He shook his head, his chest caving in and out. "Let me out!" They were flying down the road as Celes kept screaming for him to let her out. He kept looking forward, not stopping the car, and not answering her. He finally slammed on the breaks, and whipped the car down a deserted street. Her back slammed against the side of the passenger door as he put the car in park. He ripped open the door and stepped out shoving a cigarette in his mouth. She quickly spun around, her hand gripping on the door handle about to get out when she looked at him. His eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their sockets. He was pacing back and forth, cursing under his breath. She could see his cheeks tighten as he took deep drags from a cigarette. He looked like a mad man. Tears were flowing down her face not knowing what she should do. She could open the car door and take off running, but she had no clue where she was. Or she could sit there and wait for him, which she knew wasn't a wise choice.

Billy's mind was racing. He was trying to think rational, but that was never one of his strong suits. The only thing that kept burning through his head was the two of them standing against Marcus's car. Marcus having his hands on her, touching her, and kissing her. Her showing that sweet innocent smile that once belonged to him. He stopped in his tracks and chucked the cigarette out of his hands. He quickly walked around the car and ripped the door open. Celes let out a gasp as he dragged her out of the passenger seat. He jerked her to the side, kicking the door shut, and slammed her up against the car. His hands slammed down on the car roof making her jump.

"Billy, please," she whimpered feeling him closing in on her. She didn't have to look at him to see the death glare he was giving her. She could feel it through her whole body. She finally looked up at him, his face only inches away from hers. She was terrified now as she looked into his eyes. He released his hand, shoving his finger in her face as she let out another whimper. The sudden look in her eyes made him stop. He closed his eyes, breathing the cold air through his nose. He shook his head swallowing the words he wanted to say to her. She was right, she had no idea who Marcus was. That had been _his_ fault for never telling her what was going on. The whole time he thought he was protecting her, but instead, he just opened the door for danger to step in. He exhaled the deep breaths that he had been taking and placed his hands on her cheeks. She could feel his breath on her face as she stared at him wide eyed. The crazy look in his eyes never left as he gently placed his forehead against hers.

"You are the only thing he knew would get to me," he breathed out. She closed her eyes tightly trying to stop her tears. "This is why you can't leave me." His voice was almost a whisper as he titled his head back. "I need to protect you. Why can't you get that through your fucking head?" She narrowed her eyes at him. The look in his eyes was fading as she slowly pulled his hands from her face.

"I just had a gun to my head," she tried to yell, but her voice was cracking. "How is that protecting me? You can't protect me from your life!" She crossed her hands over her chest and shook her head. "I swore I would start a new life here. I cannot," she took in a deep breath. "I cannot put my daughter in danger." He closed his eyes taking a few steps back and shoved a cigarette in his mouth.

"So that's it?" he finally asked exhaling the smoke. It was easier telling herself that it was over. She had been telling herself that again and again. But even after what had just happened, she couldn't find the words to tell him. She just stood there, her mouth opened, not able to say anything. He reached around her and opened the car door. "Get in." She slowly pulled herself back into the car. She looked down at her hands as he climbed into the driver's seat. They had only been in the car for a few minutes before Billy cleared his throat.

"How did he find you?" Billy asked in a low voice. He was sure he already knew the answer, but he had to hear it from her.

"At the Diner," she whispered. Billy started thumping his thumb against the steering wheel. Joe knew who the 'mystery guy' was all along and never said a word to him. He sniffed and looked over at her.

"He knows about Savannah," he said not asking a question at all. Celes caught on to his tone and stared back at him. "Joe seen him in there with you two."

"So now you have your brother spying on me?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"No," he replied. "He just happened to be there. Does he know where you live?" Celes's eyes darted not wanting to have this conversation with him. Marcus knew everything about her now. He had been such a good listener. Not because he cared, but because he needed the information. "He knows where you fucking live, doesn't he?" She nodded her head and looked back out the window. "What else does he know?"

"I don't know," she mumbled.

"You tell him about me?" Billy asked flicking his cigarette out the window.

"Not exactly," she said knowing that she had hardly mentioned him to Marcus. "I tried not to talk about you." The thumping on the steering wheel was growing louder now as Celes looked over. At any other time, she would have quickly placed her hand on his. She knew that is was a sign he was trying to control his temper.

"What else?" he demanded. She shook her head at him not giving him an answer. "Huh? Did he take you on some fucking date? Get you some little flowers, and all of a sudden you felt better about your fucking self?" She let out a huff and glared at him.

"Oh and some skank grinding on you at the bar didn't make _you_ feel better?" she quipped. Billy sniffed and shoved another cigarette in his mouth. He knew Joni had opened her mouth. He lit it up and took a long drag from it. His silence made something snap inside Celes. "Well did it?" she barked at him.

"Yeah," he snapped. "And it made me feel a whole lot fucking better when she was grinding on me in my car!" Celes's eyes widen as she stared at him in shock. Joni had apparently left out one major detail of the story. Before she knew what she was doing her hand swung up, slapping him as hard as she could across his face. His face instantly grew red, his jaw clenched as he let out a growl. She quickly pushed herself up against the door not believing what she had just done. He slowly turned his head, his nostrils flared, his eyes burning through hers. Her heart was pounding knowing he was going to hit her. He released his hand from the steering wheel and shoved his finger in her face..

"You lay in bed with _him _and put your fucking hands on _me_!" he screamed not paying attention to the road. His chest was caving in and out as he jabbed his finger in her direction again. "Never lay a fucking hand on me again!" he barked with spit flying out of his mouth. "If you do that again, I swear I will-" he took in a deep breath not finishing his sentence. He wiped his mouth and stared straight ahead at the road. His fingers were curled around the steering wheel making his knuckles turn white. Celes pushed herself off of the door her and eased herself back into the seat. The only thing she could hear in the car was his breathing.

She knew that she had just acted out on jealously. Jealously that some other girl had been with him when it should have been her. Knowing that she should had never been with Marcus to begin with. She let out a sob knowing what the past week had all been about. She hadn't fallen for Marcus that quickly for no reason. Billy wouldn't look in her direction, his face still burning from the slap, as he slowly put on the brakes outside her house.

"I was just trying to forget you," she whispered her eyes looking down at the floorboard. "I thought somehow I would just magically forget about you if I was with him. But it didn't help anything, and now,"she wiped away her tears knowing that she looked pathetic. She sucked in a deep breath and finally looked at him. "I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want to leave you, and...and.." She was turning into a blubbering mess now. Billy reached under his seat pulling out the same small hand gun he had tried to give her before.

"Take this," he said grabbing her hand and placing it in her palm. He looked over seeing the front door to her house open and Evie stepping out. Celes stared down at the gun in her hand. She was getting that sick feeling back in her stomach. "Listen to me," he said sternly leaning closer to her. "I will take care of him."

"Billy," she said knowing what exactly those words meant. He placed his finger on her lips, quieting her.

"Bones started this shit a long time ago," Billy said trying to keep his voice calm. He could hear Evie's voice yelling as she stormed down the sidewalk. "I swore nothing was going to happen to you." Celes placed her hand on his and took a deep breath. He could give her all the reasons in the world of why it wasn't her fault, but she knew that tonight it was.

"Don't do this," she said as clearly as she could. "I am asking you _not_ to do this." His hand dropped as he looked straight ahead. "Do not be like _him_." Billy swallowed and wiped his mouth knowing she was talking about Bones. "You are better than that," she breathed out as he shook his head.

"You don't know anything," he mumbled looking back towards the road.

"I'm not going to let you do this," she said more firmly. "What happens if you get killed?" He let out a huff. "Don't act like you're invincible because you're not!" Billy looked over to say something when he saw Evie approaching the car. He could hear her muffled voice as she reached down to open Celes's door. Billy leaned over slamming his hand down on the lock and glared at her. Evie's eyes bulged as she smacked her hand against the window.

"That's it!" Evie screamed. "I'm going to kick your ass!" She was banging her hands against the window, but Celes ignored her. Billy was pushing himself back when Celes reached up and cupped his face with her hand.

"Do you realize that he could kill you?" she asked. He closed his eyes not wanting to fight with her anymore. "Look at me," she said. He opened his eyes up seeing her lower lip quivering. "I am begging you not to do this. I have lost too many people already in my life, and I will not loose you again." Evie reached down picking up a rock from the sidewalk. Joni had called her in a panic, rambling on about how Marcus pulled a gun, and everything that had happened. She wasn't going to let Celes get sucked back into his life. She had the rock in her hand about to chuck it through the back window, when she saw headlights coming down the street. She froze, holding the rock above her head. Billy's eyes looked up seeing Evie staring behind his car. He quickly jerked his head back to see the car pulling up behind him.

"Evie!" a girl shouted when Evie realized it was Joni. Bodie, Joe, and Baggy were spilling out of the car as Evie dropped the rock from her hand.

"That psycho has got her in the car," she said. "He locked the door when I was trying to get her out." She glared at the guys now standing a few feet in front of her. "Get her out of there!" she yelled pointing at the car. All three of them looked at one another. They knew better than to ever interrupt him, especially when it came to Celes.

"Billy," Celes whispered moving his attention back to her.

"Get out of the car," he said in a low voice.

"No," she cried out. "I am not getting out until you tell me you're not going to go after him." His eyes were softer now as he stared at her. "Are you willing to die for nothing?"

"What?" he asked confused.

"If you leave tonight and go after him..." she started then took a deep breath. Everything she wanted to say to him was getting jumbled up in her head. She knew she had to show him that she was being serious this time. "...we will be over for good." He pulled her hand away from his face and sat back in his seat. The look on her face told him she was telling the truth. "I love you, but I will not watch you die. I have already done that once, and I will _not_ go through that pain again." All her rational thinking was gone as she stared at him waiting for him to say something. She could hear the faint voices of everyone outside the car, but she didn't care. She had pushed him out of her life once, but now, all she wanted was him back in it.

"Fine," he mumbled.

"Fine?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

"I won't go after him," he said with his teeth clenched. He knew she had been talking about Savannah's father when she said those last words. He knew that if he didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, he would never get another chance to have her back in his life. His phone started ringing as he cursed under his breath and answered it.

"What?" he barked into the phone.

"Bodie just called me, we're all going to meet up at the office," Tommy said. Billy took a deep breath. "We're going to get these assholes right?" He glanced over at Celes who was staring at him not knowing who was on the other end.

"Yeah," Billy said staring back at her. "I'll be there in a minute. Just keep Bones's fat ass occupied until I get there."

"What? Bones ain't here. What the hell are you talking about?" Tommy asked confused. Billy hung up his phone not explaining himself. She was about to ask him what that was about, when he grabbed her, smashing his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself closer to him. He cupped his hand on the back of her neck sending that same feeling she had always felt when she was with him.

"Are you kidding me!" Evie yelled smacking her hand against the window. The sound made both of them jump as Celes looked up to see Evie glaring at the two of them.

"I've gotta go," Billy said quickly knowing if he didn't leave now, he would never get the chance too. He wanted to stay with her, be with her, feel her touch again, but he had to take care of things first. "Bones showed up and is about to beat the hell out of Tommy and Heco." She released her hands from his neck and pulled herself back into the seat. The gun had slipped into the middle as Billy picked it up. He gripped his finger on her belt loop and slipped the gun in the waist line of her pants. She stared down at it as he pulled her shirt over it. "Put this up where Savannah cannot find it," he said sternly. The last thing he wanted was for either of them to get hurt. He felt a little better knowing she had some sort of protection when he wasn't around. She nodded her head as they both stepped out of the car.

"I cannot believe you," Evie spat at her then glared at Billy.

"Bodie," Billy called out waving his hand. "You're coming with me." He pointed his finger at Baggy and Joe. "You two stay here with them until I get back." Bodie walked over towards the passenger door. He squeezed Celes's arm as she backed out of the way so he could get in.

"Excuse me?" Evie snipped. Billy ignored her and looked back over at Celes.

"I'll be back," he said before getting back into the car. "I promise." She nodded her head as he slammed the door shut. She watched as his car pulled away from the curb and took off down the street. She ignored the look Evie was still giving her as she felt someone lightly touching her shoulder. She turned around to see Joni standing next to her, a small smile on her face.

"I need a drink," Evie grumbled walking past the two of them. Joni linked her arm with Celes's as they followed Evie up the walk way. Brayden was standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face.

"What is going on?" he asked rubbing his eye.

"Ask your sister," Evie spat stepping aside so Celes and Joni could walk in first. Joe and Baggy were only a few feet away as the girls walked past Brayden. Joe walked in behind them as Evie swung out her arm, blocking Baggy's way.

"What the hell?" he spat.

"You can sit in the car," she said glaring at him.

"I'm not sitting in the car, it's fucking cold out here," he said jerking her arm down. Evie jumped in front of him her eyes narrowing.

"Brayden!" she shouted. "Get me the baseball bat!" Baggy took a few steps back knowing that she was being serious. They both glared at each other for a minute until Baggy finally turned around and stalked towards the car. "That's what I thought!" Evie yelled then stormed past Brayden. Joni was snuggled up to Joe on the couch as they watched Evie stomp her way through the house and towards Celes's room.

Celes pulled her shirt off and glanced down at her arms. She could see a faint bruise appearing where Marcus had held her so tight. Her door flew open as she spun around to see Evie standing in the hallway. The first thing that Evie noticed was the marks on her arms.

"Did he do that to you?" she yelled. Celes pulled a pink tank top over her shoulders and shhed her not wanting Savannah to wake up. "How could you get back with him when he put his hands on you? Are you just looking for another Luke to step in?" Celes glared at her feeling her face turning red.

"This wasn't Billy," she hissed and pulled Evie into the room. She shut the door and turned around staring at her. "This was from Marcus."

"What?" Evie snapped. "I'm going to kill him."

"Well I'm afraid you're going to have to get in line," Celes quipped sitting down on her bed. She knew Billy had said he wasn't going to do anything, but she knew that promise wouldn't last for long. Celes told Evie everything that had happened at the gas station. "All of it," Celes said tearing up again. "I was just some kind of game to him. I let him in, and I.." Evie rubbed her back feeling a pain of guilt for throwing a fit outside.

"Ohh," Evie said her anger rising. "That...that stupid...stupid..._creep_!"

"A creep?" Celes asked with a giggle. "That's the only thing you could think of calling him?"

"At the moment, yes. Give me a second and I'm sure I could call him every name in the book." The door to the room slowly opened as Joni stepped in.

"Talk about a night from hell," she said sitting down on the bed. "I should have put two and two together. I've heard Joe talk about Marcus before, but it just didn't hit me until it was too late."

"Such a creep," Evie mumbled. "And then some." All the girls nodded their heads as Celes lowered back to her bed. "We should let you get some sleep."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep," she said. She pushed herself back up. "I'm going to check on Savannah." She got up from the room and quietly tip toed into her daughter's room not wanting to wake her up. Savannah was wrapped tightly up in her pink comforter. Celes eased herself down on her bed and brushed her hair out of her face. The only light in the room was a street light seeping it's way through the blinds.

"Mommy," Savannah mumbled opening her eyes. Celes smiled down at her. "Is it time to get up?"

"No honey," she said kissing her forehead. "Mommy just wanted to say goodnight." Savannah closed her eyes nuzzling her face into her pillow.

"Why was everyone yelling outside?" she asked sitting up in her bed.

"Aunt Evie just has a big mouth," Celes said making Savannah giggle. "You should go back to sleep though."

"Will you read me a story?" Savannah asked laying back down in her bed. Celes nodded and flipped on the lamp next to her bed. She reached down into the night stand and pulled out a book. Savannah's eyes fluttered as Celes read the book to her. When she reached the last page, she looked over to see Savannah asleep. She closed the book and set it on the night stand. She slowly eased herself off the bed and turned off the lamp. She glanced once more at her before quietly shutting the door behind her. Celes could feel herself getting tired as she walked into the kitchen to see Brayden and Joe at the table playing cards. Two beers were opened as Joe let out a groan.

"Damn," he said tossing his cards. They both looked up at her. "You okay?"

"I'll get back to you on that," she said filling a glass up with water. "Where's Joni?"

"She passed out on the couch," Joe said. "Evie went to bed already and told me if I let Baggy in the house I would wake up with no balls." Brayden let out a grunt and started shuffling the deck of cards. "Billy say when he was coming back?" Celes shook her head taking one last gulp of the water. "You two cool now?" Celes turned around and bit back her lip. She wasn't for sure what they were. Joe nodded his head scooping up his cards and Brayden's eyes narrowed noticing the marks on her arms.

"What the hell are you those?" Brayden asked shoving the chair out from under him.

"Brayden," Celes said with a sigh. "Sit down, I'm fine." He stood there as she placed the glass on the counter. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you guys in the morning." Brayden watched her as she walked out of the kitchen wanting to talk to her about what was going on. He had gotten a quick explanation from Joni about what had happened. He wanted to go after Marcus.

"You think your brother is going to go after him?" Brayden asked. Joe stopped himself before answering. He didn't know whether or not he could trust him just yet.

"Let's just say," Joe said laying down his cards. "My brother doesn't take shit like this lightly."

–

Billy was pacing back and forth as the boys discussed what their next move should be. If it wasn't for Celes's words he would already be down at Marcus's place with a gun in his hands. She had never found out about Luke, but he knew he had to be careful on this one. She wasn't going to be naive to everything he said anymore.

"I say we just go knock some damn doors down and don't ask any questions," Heco said. "Fuck this sitting around shit. Let's go!"

"Yeah," some of guys yelled. Billy stopped pacing and turned giving them all a glare. Bodie straightened himself up against the wall. He saw something in Billy's eyes as a smile grew on his face.

"You gettin' an idea?" Bodie asked. The rest of the guys looked over at Billy. He placed a cigarette in his mouth and slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said lighting his cigarette up. "I got an idea."

—

Celes sat up in bed, her knees pulled up to her chest as she glanced at the clock. 3:25 am stared back at her as she let out a groan. Her stomach had been doing flip flops since she entered the room. She wanted to just take some sleeping pills, go to sleep, and wake up the next morning hoping this had all been a bad dream. She felt herself getting sick anytime she thought of Marcus. Him laying next to her, touching her, anything he did make her stomach turn. He was probably sitting back with his boys laughing at her. Mocking her. Laughing about how it had been so easy to get her to fall for him. How easily she just gave it up after one date.

"I am so stupid," she grumbled.

"No you're not," a husky voice said. She jumped and quickly looked up to see Billy standing in the doorway. He had his arm leaned up over his head a slight smile on his face as he looked at her. She didn't say anything as he slowly walked towards her bed. The silver cross lightly bouncing off his black shirt. He stopped short in front of her bed noticing the gun laying on top of her night stand. "You can't leave that shit out," he said picking it up. He walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer and set it down. He closed the drawer and looked back over at her. Her face was blotchy from crying and her eyes were heavy. She looked like she was ready to pass out at any moment. "Why aren't you sleeping?" She gave him a stiff laugh as he walked over standing next to her bed.

"Because I've been sitting her thinking how stupid I am," she said scooting over. He sat down on the bed and leaned his back against her headboard. He pulled her to him as she laid her head down on his chest.

"Not stupid," he said running his fingers through her hair. "A little naive maybe." She smacked him lightly on his chest as he let out a grunt. His hand slipped down to her arm as he gently stroked it. "Evie calm down?" Celes narrowed her eyes. Billy had never cared what Evie thought or how she felt. She realized that he was just trying to avoid the obvious.

"Yeah," she finally said wanting to say more to him. "She wouldn't let Baggy in the house though. She threatened to use the baseball bat again." He let out another grunt and took a drag from his cigarette. Neither one of them said anything else as Billy finished his cigarette. He put the cigarette out and adjusted himself against the headboard. Celes pushed herself back and stared at him. "Did you fix things with Bones?" He didn't look at her now as her eyes narrowed. "Billy?"

"Yeah," he said yawning. "The fat bastard threw his fit, got his money, and then left. Same old shit he does."

"What was the problem?"

"Nothing you need to know," he said closing his eyes.

"Billy," she said pushing the issue.

"What?" He popped open his eyes with an annoyed look on his face. She stared at him hard. She had to believe that he had really went to fix things with his father. That Bones did throw his weekly tantrum and that Billy didn't go anywhere near Marcus or his boys.

"Nothing," she said laying her head down on her pillow. She wanted to just drop the issue, but knew it wasn't going to be easy. The awkward silence between them grew again. Billy got off the bed and pulled his shirt over his head. Celes watched him as he took of his shoes and pants. She pulled back the covers slipping under them. He stared down at her one last time before he turned the lights off. Their eyes were still on one another as he walked through the darkness and slipped into bed next to her. He brushed her hair out of her face and leaned in kissing her lips. The kiss was quick as he pulled away letting out another yawn.

"I'm sorry," she said as he eyed her funny. "I'm sorry I blew up on you when it came to Brayden. I'm sorry that I went to _him_. None of this would have happened if I-"

"Stop," he said quickly with a harsh voice. "I don't want to talk about this shit anymore tonight. Let's just forget it." She pushed herself up on one elbow and raised an eyebrow at him. He groaned and pulled her down to his chest. "Tomorrow I will give you my full attention to chew my ass or say whatever it is that you need to say."

"I don't want to chew your ass," she mumbled. "Well...maybe a little." She looked up at him, a halfway smile on her face. He rolled his eyes at her and kissed her one last time.

"Now go to sleep," he grumbled. She closed her eyes feeling his arms tighten around her. Both of them knowing this was exactly what they wanted.


	16. Payback

1I finally got the chapter done!! So so sorry again for the late delay on it!! I really appreciate all the reviews and everyone that left a review on the promo video (if you haven't seen it yet, the link is in my profile). I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!!

**Chapter 16: Payback**

"Wake up," someone said as Billy's eyes fluttered. He could hear the faint voice of someone as he stretched his arms out. "Wake up!" the voice become louder as Billy popped his eyes open. He turned his head slightly and realized that the voice was coming from Savannah. She had wedged herself in between Celes and him and was now giving him a funny look. Billy blinked a few times and stared blankly at her. "I'm hungry," she finally said.

"Okay," he mumbled closing his eyes again. He felt a light poke on the side of his shoulder as he opened his eyes again. Savannah crossed her arms over her chest and gave him her best dirty look. "What kid?" he asked in an irritated voice.

"Wake mommy up so I can eat," Savannah said with a huff. Billy slowly pushed himself up on the bed as Savannah turned around and started poking her mother. Celes stirred a little brushing her hair out of her face. Even as she slept, Billy could still see the redness under her eyes. "Mommy!" she yelled as Billy put his hand over her mouth.

"Let your mom sleep," he grumbled taking his hand off her mouth and slipping out of the bed. "Come on."

"You can cook?" she asked raising her eyebrows as she scooted across the bed. She landed with a thud on the floor as Billy shook his head at her. It still amazed him how she had never broken a bone as much as she slipped or fell off of things. He reached down and scooped her off the floor and walked out of the room. "Can you make pancakes?"

"No," he said flatly grabbing his keys off of the coffee table. He glanced over seeing Joe and Joni curled up together on the couch. Billy walked towards the front door and opened it. "We'll go get something." Savannah was still dressed her pajamas with her red cape tied around her neck as they walked towards his car.

"I need my booster seat," Savannah stated as Billy opened the door to his car. "Mommy says I have to sit in it because it could save my life one day."

"Super heros don't need a booster seat," Billy mumbled placing her in the passenger seat. He shut the door and walked over climbing into the driver's seat. Savannah tugged on the seatbelt as Billy reached over and buckled her in. He started up the car and flipped on the radio as he drove towards the Diner.

—

"I don't want waffles, I want _pancakes_!" Savannah whined as Billy let out a frustrated sigh. He threw the menu down on the table staring at her hard. She had been whining the entire car ride there and he could feel his headache slowly making it's way through his head. His limits were already being tested today.

"You're going to get your damn pancakes, so shut up about it," he snapped as Evie approached the table with her eyebrow raised. Savannah crossed her arms over her chest and let out another huff.

"Geez Darley," Evie quipped. "You might want to refresh your parenting skills." She glanced around realizing that Celes wasn't with him. "Where's Celes?"

"Sleeping,"Billy stated. "Get the kid pancakes and I want coffee." Evie eyed him again with her hand on her hip. She also wasn't in a good mood today. She hadn't gotten much sleep due to what happened the night before, and the first thing she saw when she came out of her bedroom was Baggy. She cussed her head off at him and threatened to cut off his balls if he ever stepped foot into her house again. Billy let out a sigh raising an eyebrow at Evie as she glanced over at Savannah. Savannah didn't even notice her as she stared at Billy with a pout look on her face.

"You're not being nice," Savannah said with her lower lip puckered out. Billy tilted his head and breathed in deep breath through his nose. He didn't know how much more of her whining he could handle for the day.

"Get the kid a damn milkshake too," he said as Savannah's eyes instantly lit up.

"You're going to let her have a milkshake for breakfast?" Evie asked.

"Just get it," Billy grumbled as she shook her head and walked away. Savannah reached over grabbing the creamers like she always did and started stacking them. She started humming, her mood already improving as Billy shook his head. It amazed him how easily she could get out of a bad mood just by a simple thing. He placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, blowing the smoke out of the corner of his mouth. A part of him felt relieved in a sense that he had Celes back in his life, but there was the other part, the part he wasn't able to shake. Thoughts of Marcus were consuming his mind now. His jaw clenched remembering the smirk Marcus had given him last night. He had to fix things, he had to get back at him. And that was exactly what the guys and him were going to do tonight.

"Why are you doing that?" Savannah asked looking down at his hand. He hadn't realized that he had been thumping his thumb against the table as he looked down. He glanced back at her, shaking his head a little as he slowly pulled his hand back. Savannah pushed the creamer containers to the side and propped her elbows on the table placing her chin in her hands. She tilted her head back and forth a small smile on her face as she stared at Billy.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you my mommy's boyfriend again?" she asked. "Because I think I would like you to be mommy's boyfriend again."

"You think, huh?" he asked taking a deep drag off of his cigarette.

"Yeah," she said placing her hands down on the table. "I like Marcus, but I like _you_ better." Billy's eyes dropped as he stared down at her. He didn't know what to say to her. Really, he never knew what to say to her when she asked questions. For being a five year old she was smart. She always knew when something was going on.

Evie rounded the corner and put down the plate of pancakes and milkshake in front of Savannah making her forget the conversation she was having. She licked her lips as she picked up the jar of syrup, dumping them all over her plate and some on the table.

"You know," Evie said running her fingers through Savannah's hair. "You could at least brushed her hair and put some clothes on her." Billy sipped on his coffee ignoring Evie as she rolled her eyes and walked off. Savannah stuck her fork into the pancake picking it up as biting a piece of the bottom. Billy smirked at her as he put out his cigarette and stuck another one in his mouth. The Diner wasn't that busy as he heard the loud thuds of someone's foot steps approaching their table. Billy placed his elbows on the table and turned his head slightly. Smoke blew out of his mouth as his eyes widen seeing who was approaching. Bones stood in front of him wearing dark jeans and a faded out gray shirt with pit stains. His thick black rimmed glasses lined his piercing eyes as he clutched the rolled up newspaper in his hand.

"What the hell is this?" Bones bellowed pointing the paper at Savannah. Savannah looked up and dropped her fork and pancake back onto the plate. Her mouth was hanging open as she stared at him. Billy looked over at her with his eyes still wide. "What did I fuckin' tell you? Huh? I told you to drop the fuckin'_ girl_ and her fuckin' _kid_!"

"What do you want?" Billy asked still looking at Savannah. Of all day that Bones decides to show up, it had to be today. He didn't want Savannah to be near Bones. Didn't want her to have to hear or witness anything that he might pull. Bones slammed his hand down on the back of Billy's neck and yanked him forward. Billy's faced moved as he stared at Bones with his jaw clenched.

"What I want," he hissed with spit flying out of his mouth. "Is for you to get off your fuckin' ass and do your job!" Bones glanced over at Savannah and titled his head. "I want you to drop the fuckin' father of the year act and do what I say. Because if you don't do what I say-"

"Let go of Billy!" Savannah shouted jumping up into the seat of the booth. "Or I'm going to tell Aunt Evie on you!" Bones dropped his hand and glared over at her.

"What was that little girl?" he asked placing his hands down on the table and leaning forward towards her.

"Sit down kid," Billy hissed but Savannah ignored him. She placed her hands on her hips and crinkled up her nose.

"I don't like you," she said to Bones. "You're fat." Billy's heart was racing now as Bones let out a stiff chuckle. He slowly turned his head and stared at Billy.

"Your little girl here has got quite the fuckin' mouth on her," he spat. He licked his lips, a sick smile on his face as he leaned over towards Billy's ear. "It'd be a shame if something was to happen to her." Billy's eyes bulged as his nostrils flared. "Or that pretty little mother of her's." He pushed himself off the table and took one more look at Savannah. "You think long and fuckin' hard about that Billy boy." Bones gave him one last firm glare then turned around. Billy watched him as he stalked out of the Diner. His heart was still pounding as he stabbed the cigarette out into the ashtray and stood up. Savannah was still standing up as he reached over and pulled her out of the booth.

"I'm not done with my pancakes!" she shouted her feet kicking in the air. Billy grabbed the plate with his free hand and walked up to the counter. Evie was walking out of the back and stared at him with a confused look on his face.

"Put this in a box," he said sternly as she reached over and grabbed a container. She dumped the pancakes in the box and pushed it towards him. He didn't say anything as he ripped it off the counter and walked out of the Diner. He had enough on his mind with Marcus, and now he had to add Bones. He placed Savannah in the car and buckled her in. He was trying to control his temper as he walked around the car. Savannah watched him as he climbed into the car and slammed the door hard.

"Did I make you mad?" she asked her voice quiet. Billy slowly glanced over at her, seeing a sad look across her face.

"No kid," he breathed out as he started up the car. "You didn't do anything." She nodded her head as they drove back to the house in silence.

—

Celes's eyes opened hearing voices coming from the living room. She glanced over seeing the spot next to her empty. She pushed herself up and glanced over at the clock. It was a little past ten am as she swung her legs off the bed and walked towards the door. She placed her hand over her mouth letting out a yawn with her eyes closed when suddenly she slammed against something. Her eyes popped open to see Billy standing in front of her. He was staring down at her trying to hide the irritated look on his face. She reached up wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You okay?" she asked as he nodded his head. He knew he had to tell her about what happened at the Diner with Bones. It would only be a matter of time, or minutes, before Savannah would say something to her. But as he stared down at her, he didn't want the smile that was spreading across her face to leave. She pushed herself up on her toes, kissing him softly on the lips. She pulled back seeing the irritated starting to leave his face. "I need to go check on Savannah, she's probably starving." She pulled her arms off of him and reached over to grab the doorknob.

"I already took her to get something to eat," he said pulling his jacket off and placing it on top of her dresser. Celes glanced back at him a surprised look on her face.

"You took her to get breakfast?" she asked as he nodded his head. "I'm impressed." He let out a grunt as he walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed. He closed his eyes and started rubbing his temples again trying to get his headache to go away. Celes walked over and sat down next to him. She wanted to talk to him about last night. Explain everything about Marcus and for once get some answers from him. She bit back her lip, trying to find a way to say it to him. Billy stopped rubbing his temples and reached over cupping the back of her neck. She pushed herself closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder. It was still a rush of relief to him having her next to him. He slightly turned his head and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I love you," he said quietly as she slowly raised her head up to look at him. "And I've never told anyone those words besides my brother." He was staring at her a sincere look on his face as she stared back at him.

She knew that he loved her, but actually hearing him say the words sent chills through her body. A smile crept across her face as she pushed herself up on his lap locking her lips with his. He wrapped his arms around her as their kiss deepened. She instantly felt the feeling again, like she couldn't get enough of him as they both fell back on the bed. Their clothes went flying in the air as Billy rolled over pulling her hands above her head. She let out a gasp feeling him inside of her as he smashed his lips against hers. She let out a loud moan as his thrusts became faster. He dropped her hands letting them roam over her body as she arched her back. "Billy," she moaned as his pace started to speed up. She bit down on his lip as her legs wrapped around him tightly. She closed her eyes as Billy let out a groan. They were so wrapped up with one another that neither one of them heard the bedroom door open. Brayden stuck his head in as his jaw dropped at the site he was seeing.

"Jesus!" he screamed jumping back from the door and slamming it shut. "I'm taking Savannah to the store!" he yelled through the door. Celes placed her hand over her mouth trying to control her laughter. Billy didn't even stop as he pulled her hand back and kissed her aggressively. She didn't even have time to catch her breath before he pulled himself off of her, both of them panting. Billy flopped down on his back as Celes laid her head down on his chest.

"I'm glad you're here," she whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair. She kissed his chest as he leaned over grabbing his cigarette pack from his jeans. She pulled the sheets over them as she closed her eyes feeling his chest raise up and down. She didn't want to talk about what had happened now. She knew exactly what the conversation would lead to. She didn't want to fight with him, she just wanted to stay in the moment she was having.

—

The sound of Billy's phone made Celes jump as she glanced over at him. He had spent the entire day at her house, only leaving once to go home to take a quick shower and change. It was close to midnight now as Celes felt her eyes getting heavy.

"Yeah," Billy said into the phone.

"It's time dog," Bodie said as Billy cleared his throat. "Marcus just left with some blonde, and by the looks of things," he let out a little laugh. "They ain't comin' back anytime soon. The only ones that are left inside are two of his boys and that lil' bitch Ollie."

"You sure about that?" Billy asked sternly.

"Positive."

"All right, I'll be there in a few," he said closing his phone and glancing over at Celes. "I gotta go."

"Where you going?" she asked.

"Just have to do some buisness," he replied. He leaned over giving her a quick kiss. "I'll be back later." She nodded her head as he stood up from the couch. She watched him as he put his coat on. He grabbed his keys off the table and walked towards the door. A feeling Celes couldn't describe came over her as she jumped off the couch.

"Hey," she said quickly as he stopped at the door and looked back at her. She cupped his face giving him a long kiss. She pulled back as he let out a breath and stared at her. "I love you," she said. Billy nodded his head and kissed her again opening the door with his free hand. "Come back soon, okay?" She knew her voice sounded more like a plead, but she didn't care if she sounded weak.

"I'll be back," he reassured her as he stepped out the door. Celes watched him as he walked to his car, the same feeling she couldn't quite grasp coming over her again. She knew something was up, and she prayed whatever it was, that he would come back to her safely.

—

Billy's adrenaline was rushing as he watched Tommy pick the lock on the back door of Marcus's restaurant. Heco and Bodie stood next to Billy with their guns already raised. Baggy stood on the other side, two gas cans in his hands. They heard the click of the door as a smile came across Tommy's face. Billy did a quick nod as Tommy turned the doorknob and opened the door. Baggy passed Tommy one of the gas cans as they both pulled out their guns. The five of them quickly stepped inside into the dark hallway. There was a light seeping out from the door on the left and Billy knew that it was Marcus's office. He could hear the faint voices of laughter as the five of them stepped up to the door.

Rick, Mikey, and Ollie all sat around the table playing poker. Rick has a sly grin on his face, he knew he was going to win this round of the game. The pot in the middle held three hundred dollars as he threw his cards down on the table. Ollie cursed under his breath and took a sip of his beer. Mikey shook his head and let out a yawn.

"It's been lovely doing buisness with you ladies," Rick said with a grin as he pushed all the money towards him. He glanced over at the desk that sat in the corner seeing the money that they had collected from earlier that night. He looked over at Ollie and shook his head. "You better get that shit counted for before Marcus kicks your ass."

"Marcus ain't gonna do shit," Ollie said downing the rest of his beer. Rick shook his head knowing that wasn't true. He opened his mouth to say something more when the door busted open. All three of their heads snapped towards the door as Billy and his boys marched into the room with their guns raised.

"Mother fuckers!" Rick yelled reaching behind him to grab his gun. He knew that Mikey or Ollie probably weren't armed. Billy, Heco, and Bodie were too fast as the three of them all pulled down on the triggers of their guns. _Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!_ Rick cursed flying out of his chair as a bullet broke through the skin on his shoulder. Ollie tried to act fast by diving under the table, but it was too late as a bullet went through the back of his skull. He was dead on the spot. Two shots hit Mickey's chest as he slumped down in his chair. Heco rounded the table taking another shot at Mikey's head. His neck slumped back, blood dripping from the wound. Rick held onto his arm as he pulled the gun from his waistband as Billy walked around shooting his hand. He let out a shrilling scream, the gun dropping out of his hand as Billy pulled the trigger again. He wasn't dead, but it wasn't going to take long for him to be that way. Blood was splattered across the room, pools of it spilling onto the floor, as Billy stared down at Rick. His eyes were narrowed a dead set glare as Rick looked up at him.

"Fuck you," Rick hissed through his teeth as he tried to take deep breaths. Heco came around picking up Rick's gun as Tommy and Baggy took their gasoline cans and started pouring the gas around the room. Heco marched over taking the cash off the desk and shoving it into his pants. Billy shot another round into Rick's leg as he let out another yell. He tried to hold the spot, but he could feel his body getting weak from the loss of blood. "Too bad you got your girl back," he said in shorts breaths. "We were going to have a lot of fun with her." Billy's eyes practically jumped out of their sockets hearing those words. His grip on the gun tighten feeling the bile rise in his throat. Bodie stood next to Billy seeing Billy's chest cave in and out.

"You gonna finish him?" Bodie asked his gun raised ready to finish Rick off. Billy closed his eyes for a brief second. His jaw was clenched tight with the thought of Rick's words still in his mind.

"No," Billy said his voice low and stern. He opened his eyes, the cold dead glare still set on Rick. "Let him _burn_." Billy turned hearing a whimper come from Rick's mouth. Baggy and Tommy were both walking towards the door leaving a trail of the liquid behind them as Billy stalked after them. Heco and Bodie both glanced back as they headed towards the door.

"Go get the fuckin' car," Billy growled as Baggy and Tommy both ran out the back door. Heco went after them as Bodie stood next to Billy in the doorway. Billy pulled out a pack of cigarettes and placed one in his mouth.

"Marcus is going to fuckin kill you! He's going to kill you and your little bitch!" Rick screamed out as he sucked in another breath of air. Billy didn't even react to the words as he pulled out his Zippo lighter and flicked it. The glow of the light burned the end of the cigarette as he inhaled a deep drag. Bodie was already half way out the door as Billy turned around, his feet already in the position to run as he tossed the lighter out into the room. The lighter soared through the air landing in the middle of a puddle on the floor. It only took seconds before the fire ripped through out the room. Billy and Bodie were already out the door hearing the faint shrilling scream coming from Rick's mouth. It only took a matter of minutes before the room was engulfed in flames, making it's way through the rest of the building.

The flashes of red lights were swarming the restaurant as Marcus stood out in front not able to move. His face was twisted in anger as he watched his place burning. His boys, money, guns, everything was crumbling right before his eyes. He knew that Ollie, Rick, and Mikey hadn't made it out. Their cars were still parked in the same place as they were when he had left with the girl he had met that night. He blinked his eyes trying to see straight as he watched the firemen trying to contain the fire. His fists were curled up in balls as he took a deep breath.

"You're dead Darley," his voice a whisper. "You're fuckin' dead."

—

"Watch where you're pointing that damn thing!" Billy shouted as he grabbed the gun out of Celes's hand.

"You're the one that gave me this stupid thing in the first place!" she shouted back at him as he let out an aggravated sigh. He knew with what had happened the night before he had to be prepared. He couldn't keep his eyes on Celes at all times anymore. It would only be a matter of days at least before Marcus would react. And he still had to keep Bones off his ass too.

He reloaded the gun and placed it back in Celes's hand taking a step behind her. He had driven them out to old abandoned factory and lined up bottles for her to use as a target. Celes stared in front of her as Billy placed his hand on hers.

"Steady your hand," he breathed into her ear. She took in a deep breath trying to control her shaking. She knew he was getting irritated at her, but she couldn't help it. It scared the hell out of her every time she pulled the trigger. She had already fired off six rounds and had missed the bottles each time. Joe and Bodie both were leaning against the car parked away from the two of them snickering at her. Billy snapped his head towards them giving them a glare.

"Will you two shut the fuck up!" Billy barked at them as they both quickly looked down.

"I can't do this," she muttered as she felt his breath against her neck.

"Yes you can," he snapped firming his grip around her hand. She placed her finger back on the trigger and pulled down squeezing her eyes shot as it flew the air missing again. "Quit fucking

shaking." She dropped her hand and shook her head. He jerked her arm back up as she let out a sigh. "Celes," he said sternly.

"When this is over I'm going to shoot you," she mumbled as he let out a grunt. She stared at the bottles in front of her and took in a deep breath. She pulled the trigger again as it flew through the air grazing the side of a bottle. She let out a squeal knowing that she had come close to hitting one.

"Bravo!" Joe shouted tipping back his beer as she smiled. She fired two more rounds missing again as Billy took a step back shoving a cigarette in his mouth. She glanced back at him as he lit the cigarette. She took in another deep breath keeping her hand steady as she pulled back the trigger. The bullet flew through the air crashing into an old liquor bottle. It busted in the middle, pieces of glass flying through the air.

"I hit it!" Celes yelled jumping up and down. She twirled around, her eyes gleaming as she looked over at Billy. "I shot a bottle!" she yelled as he smiled at her. Bodie and Joe both started clapping as she let out another squeal. Billy stepped back up kissing her on the side of her temple.

"Now hit the rest," he said as she turned around with more confident than before. She moved her hand staring at the blue bottle in front of her and pulled the trigger. It shattered into peices as she let out another squeal jumping up and down.

"Did you see that!" she yelled looking over at Joe and Bodie. They both laughed and nodded their heads at her. Billy wrapped his arm around her waist as she felt a chill run through her body. She raised the gun again making the next bottle shatter. She felt his lips against her neck as she leaned into him.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered into her ear. She closed her eyes feeling another chill run through her. She slightly turned her neck and pressed her lips against his. The sun was slowly setting now as Billy broke away from the kiss giving her a small smile. "Get a sitter for the night, we're going to celebrate." She smiled back at him as he wrapped his arm around her waist, walking her back towards his car.

—

Joni busted out laughing as Evie's legs flew up in the air. Celes about choked on her drink hearing Evie cussing her head off. They were sitting at a table at Four Roses as the guys played pool rolling their eyes at the three girls. Celes had convinced Evie to come along, it took about an hour but she finally gave in. Evie's hand slammed down on the table as she pulled herself back up letting out a laugh.

"I think I'm drunk," she announced flopping down in her chair. Celes downed the rest of her drink and placed it back down on the table. Joe walked over placing another round of drinks in front of the girls as Joni tilted her head back as he leaned in giving her a kiss. Evie made a gagging noise as Joni reached over giving her a light shove. Celes picked up her drink and looked over at Billy. He was leaning against the table rubbing chalk on his stick as he glanced over at her. She stood up and walked towards him as he bent down steading his arm on the table to shoot. She came up behind him giving him a light tap on his butt as he hit the cue ball sending it across the table. He had missed his winning shot as he let out a growl. He turned around quickly about to say something when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You made me miss my damn shot," he stated as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll make it up to you," she said giving him a wink. She stepped forward, her feet stumbling as she bumped against his chest. She didn't realize how drunk she was until she was standing as he let out a grunt.

"Go sit down before you fall on your ass," he said. "I'll be over there in a minute." She titled her up as he forward giving her a quick kiss. She walked back towards the table, keeping her balance steady as she sat back down in her chair. Evie looked back at the table then turned around and leaned forward.

"You know," she slurred. "Bodie is kind of hot in this dirty gang way." Joni and Celes's jaws both dropped as they stared at her. Her own eyes widened realizing what she had just said. "If either of you two say a word I will slap this shit out of you!" she yelled pointing her finger and both of them. The three of them busted out in laughing as Billy threw his pool stick down on the table. Bodie scooped up the money off the table with a smirk on his face. Billy stalked towards the bar telling Sammy to get him a bottle of Jack. Baggy, Heco, and Bodie walked over to the table as Joni pulled out a chair next to Evie.

"Sit here," she said cheerfully to Bodie who raised his eyebrows at her. Evie shot her a glare as she downed the rest of her drink. Billy walked back over the bottle of Jack in his hand as he glanced around the table. There were no more chairs left as Celes pushed herself up letting him sit down. He threw himself down in the chair as she slipped into his lap. He reached over opening the bottle and pouring himself a glass.

"What's wrong with you?" Evie asked noticing an irritated look on his face.

"I don't like losing money," he spat downing the glass.

"Aww," Celes said kissing his temple. "Poor thing." He let out a huff as she shifted herself in his lap. She placed her lips up to his ear. "I told you I'd make up for it later," she whispered as he shook his head pouring himself another glass. She gave him another kiss on his temple as he shoved a cigarette in his mouth. She slipped off his lap telling them she had to go to the restroom. Evie stood up grabbing her empty glass and pushed her chair in. She placed her hand down on the table and leaned over towards Billy.

"What?" he asked his eyes narrowing at her.

"You know you're lucky right?" she asked him. He raised his eyebrows at her blowing smoke from his mouth. "You're lucky I haven't kicked your ass yet," she stated as his eyes dropped. "And you're damn lucky she came back to you. Don't screw it up again." She turned around and walked away heading to the bar. Celes came out of the bathroom as Evie passed her another drink making their way back towards the table. Celes sat back down on Billy's lap as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Evie was right, he was damn lucky she took him back, and he planned to keep it that way.

The night went on with everyone drinking, laughing, and for once actually having a good time. Evie was at the pool table with Bodie trying to play pool. She kept stumbling around, knocking into Bodie as he caught her every time she almost fell. Celes let out a laugh watching the two of them as she finished her last drink for the night. She placed it back down on the table and laid her head down on Billy's shoulder. She slipped her hand down on top of his jeans as she kissed him on the neck. Her finger traced up to his inner thigh as he shifted in his seat. She pressed her lips against his neck again as he slightly turned his head.

"You're killing me here," he said to her as she grinned.

"Good," she replied. He quickly pulled them both out of the chair, his arm wrapped around her waist as she let out a laugh.

"We're going," Billy called out pulling his keys from his pocket.

"Wait," she said stopping him and looking back at Evie. "Evie!" she yelled as Evie glanced up from the pool table. "Do you need a ride?" Billy was already tugging on her arm growing impatient. Evie waved her hands around and shook her head.

"I'll find my way home!" she called out as Celes let out a laugh. Billy was pulling her towards the door now as she turned back around. She felt the air rush over her as she pulled herself in front of him wrapping her arms around his waist. He placed his hands on her face kissing her aggressively as they both stumbled their way back towards his car. They were both wrapped up in one another as Celes's back slammed against the passenger side door.

Marcus sat in his car his eyes narrowed staring at the two of them. His temper was rising just looking at Billy. After the fire had been put out, they found the bodies of Ollie, Rick, and Mikey. The fire marshall had declared it arson, but Marcus already knew that. Steven, one of his boys, set in the passenger seat staring in the direction Marcus was looking.

"You gonna get this prick now?" he asked with his gun already in his hand.

"No," Marcus said his eyes staring at Celes. "I'm going to get _her _first."


	17. Shots in the Dark

1**Thanks to everyone that left a review on the last chapter!! You guys seriously have no idea how much I appreciated them :) I would love to hear what you think of this one, so please review! I'm up for any suggestions as well!! Thanks!**

**Chapter 17: Shots in the Dark**

Billy's feet hit the stairs in loud thuds as he marched up the three flights to get to Bodie's apartment. He was already irritated that Bodie hadn't picked up his phone the first few times he had tried to call him. He wanted to get a head start on the day to keep Bones off his ass and away from Celes. Billy reached the top floor as he stalked towards the door pounding his fist against it. He would break the damn thing down if he had too.

"Get your ass up!" Billy barked pounding his fist again. An older woman in her fifties was making her way up the stairs as she suddenly stopped getting a good look at him. He had his hands placed on his hips wearing a dark gray shirt showing off his tribal tattoos. He slowly turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the lady. "_What_?" he said as she quickly turned around heading back down the stairs. Billy shook his head and stepped up to pound his fist against the door again when it flew open. He went to open his mouth to tell Bodie it was about time when he stopped quickly. Evie stepped in front of him, her brown hair pulled up in a sloppy pony tail wearing the same tight black shirt and jeans from the night before.

"What?" she snapped glaring at him. Billy let out a grunt and placed one hand up above him on the doorway. She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. Bodie stepped up behind her wearing only a pair of jeans with a smug smile on his face.

"Slumming?" Billy asked as Evie gave him a smirk then pushed him out of the way. He took a few steps back placing a cigarette in his mouth as Bodie stepped up into the doorway glancing out at her.

"If I was slumming," she called out as she took a step down on the stairs. "I'd be sleeping with _you_!" Bodie let out a chuckle as Billy turned his head into his direction.

"What can I say," Bodie said shrugging. "She's got a nice ass."

—

Celes stood at the bust stop waving at her daughter as the school bus drove off. She watched it until it rounded the corner as she took the three block walk back towards the house. It was a nice cool day out as she crossed her arms glancing around the neighborhood. Her hair blew behind her as the wind swept a few strands across her face. She brushed them away as a black SUV with tinted windows came creeping down the street. Celes's heart started to flutter as she quicken her pace to head back to her house. It had been a little over a week since everything had happened with Marcus. The first few days she still felt almost lost about everything. Billy and her had never discussed anything about Marcus, although Celes wanted too. She had all the opportunity in the world since Billy had been by her side almost every moment. The only time she didn't see him was when she was at work or when he would have to leave to take care of some buisness. Those moments wouldn't even last more than an hour before he would come back to the house. What surprised her even more was the relationship he was building with her daughter. Last night she had gotten off work to find them both on the couch. Billy was slumped over with Savannah half way laying on his chest, both of them asleep. Evie hadn't said much about Billy being over there, she understood that Celes had been through enough. Celes knew it bugged her though, everything about Billy bugged Evie. Brayden on the other hand would hardly speak. She knew that he didn't feel comfortable around Billy, seeing that he tried to kick his ass twice already. That was one thing she knew she had to mention. She didn't want Brayden to feel like he couldn't be there anymore.

Celes took a quick breath seeing the black SUV approaching her. Something didn't set with her right as she nervously looked over. The SUV was still creeping by, the windows down, as a guy who had to be around eighteen stuck his head out the window.

"Hey," he said as she stopped in her tracks. "Do you know how to get to Grandview street?" She looked past him seeing another teenage guy in the driver's seat as she let out a deep breath.

"Yeah," she said quickly giving them directions. They both thanked her as she watched them drive off. She shook her head feeling stupid for even being nervous.

Marcus sat back in his car watching her as she took quick steps up her walkway and to her house. He had been parked on a side street watching her house all morning long. He saw Billy leave the house ten minutes before she had walked her daughter to the bus stop. Marcus wanted to shoot Billy right then and there, but knew he couldn't. Not yet any ways. He started up the engine and pulled out into the street as Celes walked into her front door. He had been watching her since the night his boys were killed. He wanted every move he made to be perfect for the plan he had in store for her.

Celes walked into the house to see Brayden sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. Evie came stumbling in wearing a pair of black boy shorts and a white tank top as she walked towards the refrigerator. She pulled out of a carton of orange juice and looked around.

"Where's baldy at?" she asked as Brayden let out a chuckle. Celes shook her head as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"He had to go do some stuff," Celes said as Evie nodded her head. "Which speaking of, are you guys okay with him being here?" Evie rubbed her eye and raised her eyebrows at her.

"I'm use to strays finding their way here," she mumbled as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. Brayden shot her a glare knowing she was talking about him. Celes propped her elbow on the table and placed her chin in her hand.

"Brayden," she said as he slowly looked over at her. "Are you okay with it?" He shrugged his shoulders and looked back down. She glanced over at Evie who raised her eyebrows at him. "Seriously Brayden if you're not okay with it, I need to know."

"I'm fine with it," he mumbled pushing the bowl away from him. She nodded her head knowing that he was lying. Evie plopped down in the seat between them pouring cereal into Brayden's bowl. Brayden made a face at her for using the bowl he just ate out of.

"What?" she snapped. "We don't have any clean dishes, which by the way, is your responsibility."

"I've been busy," he said. "I've got a show to prepare for tonight." Evie let out a grunt as Brayden nudged her hard.

"You do?" Celes asked with a smile on her face.

"Yeah," Brayden said raising his eyebrows. "I've told you this three times already. It's at ten tonight...you said you were going to come."

"Oh shit Brayden," Celes said running her hands through her hair. "I forgot all about it. I've got to close the Diner tonight." Brayden let out a sigh as he leaned back into his chair. He looked over at Evie.

"Are you coming?" he asked as she let out a grunt.

"Yeah right," she mumbled. "Why do I need to watch you play when I hear you making racket on that thing every day?" Celes shot her a glare as Evie cleared her throat noticing the hurt expression on Brayden's face. "Well...I'm going out tonight, but maybe, I can swing by, to see the first part of it."

"Where are you going?" Celes asked.

"Uh...," Evie said placing the spoon in her mouth. She chewed on her cereal trying to think of something to come up with. She didn't care to tell her where she was going, it was who she was going with that was the problem.

"_Evie_," Brayden pressed giving her a sly smile. She shot him a glare and cleared her throat.

"I'm going out with...a friend."

"Does this," Brayden asked using quotation marks "friend, have a name?"

"Yes," Evie replied. "A stupid name, but he has a name." Celes's jaw dropped as her eyes widened. Evie looked over at her and chucked the spoon in her bowl. "Dammit!" She could tell by the expression on Celes's face that she knew exactly who she was talking about.

"You're going out with Bodie?!" Celes exclaimed as Brayden snapped his head back and forth looking at them.

"How did you figure that one out?" he asked confused.

"It's a girl thing," they both said in unison. Celes started shaking her head leaning back into her chair. She had never asked Evie what had happened the night she had left the bar. Frankly, she had been too wrapped up in her own fun to even remember her comment about Bodie. But little hints had been made all week. Like Bodie showing up at the house to drop a few things off for Billy, and Evie leaving only a few minutes later.

"You slept with him didn't you!" Celes shrieked. Brayden slammed his hands down on the table as they both jumped.

"Every. Damn. Time," he mumbled pushing himself up from the kitchen chair. He really needed to think about finding his own place.

"Talk about some of the best sex of my life!" Evie yelled as Brayden shoved his fingers in his ear. She let out a chuckle watching him stomp out of the room. She looked back at Celes who was shaking her head. "Seriously though, is Billy that aggressive? Cause," she wiped her forehead. "I could get use to that."

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Celes asked as Evie thought about it for a second.

"No," she said quickly. "Don't...ever...answer...that." Celes busted out in laughter as the front door swung open making both of the girls jump. Billy stalked in, his normal irritated look spread across his face as he glanced over at the two of them. Brayden was walking down the hallway when he stopped seeing Billy standing there.

"Where's Savannah?" Billy asked pulling a cigarette out and placing it in his mouth. Evie finished her last bite of her cereal and stood up. She let out another yawn as she walked out of the kitchen and headed to her bedroom. Brayden quickly walked into the living room and searched for his keys. Celes watched him seeing the uncomfortable look on his face. Billy stared down at her hard, annoyed that she hadn't answered him yet. "Hey," he snapped as she looked up at him.

"What?" she asked almost forgetting what he had asked. "Oh, I just got back from taking her to the bus stop." Billy shook his head and lit his cigarette. She narrowed her eyes at him as Brayden brushed past him mumbling a goodbye.

"Why didn't you wait until I got back?" he demanded as Celes stood up from the chair. "You don't need to be walking her by yourself."

"I think I can handle three blocks," she snapped. "And if it was that big of a deal then maybe _you _should have took her yourself." Billy let out a sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest. He stepped closer wrapping his arm around her waist and gently kissed her forehead.

"Just forget it," he mumbled as she took a step back. He could tell she was still irritated as he reached out for her again. She pushed him back a little as he stared down at her. "What?" he asked.

"You really need to apologize to Brayden," she said biting back her lip.

"What the fuck for?" he asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Because he doesn't feel comfortable around you. Every time you two are in the same room he gets up and leaves. This is his house-"

"You want me to leave?" he asked.

"No," she said quickly. "No, I want you here, but I want Brayden to feel comfortable in his own home." He didn't say anything as he took another long drag from his cigarette. She stepped up to him placing her hands on his chest. She tilted her head back and gave him a small smile. "Please do this for me."

"Fine," he grumbled as she moved her hands up and around his neck. She kissed his lips smiling widely at him. He leaned over putting the cigarette out in the ash tray on the table and looked back at her. He had been in a bad mood when he first walked in. Bones had reamed his ass early that morning about wanting his money. He was trying to do everything he could to keep Bones happy, well as happy as he could be. Now looking down at her, the smile she was giving him, his bad mood was disappearing. "What do I get in return?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"How about a girlfriend that isn't bitching at you?" she suggested as he shook his head. "So you'd rather me bitch at you?" He gripped the side of her hips and quickly lifted her up. She let out a giggle as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She grinned at him as he made quick steps towards her bedroom. He didn't say anything just gave her a smirk as he approached her door. "Oh? So this is what you're wanting?" she asked as he kicked her bedroom door open. He kicked it back shut giving her a mischievous smile as they both toppled on top of her bed.

—

Celes took in a deep breath before opening the door to the Diner. She was already thirty minutes late and knew that Big Mike was going to be pissed. Once again her truck had decided to break down, and Billy had to drive her to work. She told him to pick her back up a little after eleven. He was slightly irritated already running late for his own buisness, but promised he would be there. Celes walked around the counter shoving her purse underneath when she heard Big Mike clear his throat.

"I'm sorry," she said trying to give him a smile. "My truck broke down and-"

"Order up!" he snapped shoving the plate towards her as she grabbed it out of his hands. She nodded her head and brushed past him. "And next time, just call." She didn't look back at him as she smiled walking away from him.

The Diner had been packed fifteen minutes after Big Mike had let the other waitress Victoria got home early. Celes's feet were aching as she dashed out from the back for the hundredth time delivering food to a table. Finally when she didn't think she was going to be able to stand anymore, Big Mike locked the front door. Celes flopped down in a chair and kicked her shoes off.

"Talk about an ass kicking," Big Mike said wiping his forehead. "Remind me again why I let Victoria leave early?"

"Because you hate me," Celes mumbled as he let out a little laugh. She pulled herself up from the chair and slipped her shoes back on. She finished the closing duties quickly knowing that Billy wouldn't want to wait on her that long. They both finally finished closing the place down when Celes glanced back up at the clock. It was 11:30. She glanced outside not seeing Billy's car anywhere.

"You need a ride home?" Big Mike asked flipping the switch to the lights. She bit back her lip and walked over to the counter.

"Possibly," she said dialing Billy's number. It rang and rang until finally she gave up hearing his voice mail. She hung up the phone and dialed again, but still didn't get an answer. "No," she finally said knowing he'd be more pissed if he came to pick her up and she wasn't there. "He should be here soon."

"I don't like the idea of leaving you here by yourself," he said as Celes waved her hand.

"I wouldn't want your wife to get mad that you're home late again," Celes said knowing that they were having problems. Big Mike wasn't one to share his feelings, but his constant rants about how crazy women were showed that there was some trouble in paradise.

"True," he said as he walked towards the door. "Are you sure though? I mean last time..."

"I'll be fine," she insisted. He nodded his head and undid the lock and stepped out waving goodbye to her. She waved back at him as she walked towards the door locking it behind him.

She sat in the Diner for ten more minutes before she tried calling Billy's cell phone again. She was getting irritated herself now as she glanced at the clock. She quickly dialed Joni's mother's cell phone telling her that she was running late, but she would pick Savannah up as soon as possible. She placed the phone down and ran her hands through her hair letting out a groan. She hated waiting.

"Dammit Billy," she mumbled letting out another groan. She stopped suddenly, goose bumps rising on her skin when she heard a noise only a few feet away from her. The only light that was in the Diner was the streetlights seeping through the big windows. She slowly turned her head, her heart starting to race as she saw someone standing at the end of the counter. Her eyes widened as she took a few steps back, her hands clutching her purse as the person took a few steps towards her. She opened her mouth to let out a scream when he stepped up into the light.

"Don't scream," he said quickly. She stood frozen staring back at him. Marcus stood in front of her dressed in a dark blue button up shirt wearing a pair of faded blue jeans. He smiled lightly at her as she tried to breathe. "I just came here to talk."

"Wha-Wha-What," she stammered with her words. "What the hell do you want?" she finally spit out as he took another step. He could see her tightening her grip around her purse as he put his hands up.

"Don't be scared," he said softly taking another step towards her. She backed up a few more steps dragging her purse along the counter with her. Marcus pushed himself a step back as she watched him carefully. "I just want to talk, okay? That's all. You don't have to be scared of me. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" she spat feeling her anger growing. She glanced out the window praying that Billy would pull in. She didn't want to be alone with him, she didn't want to be anywhere near him. "You need to leave."

"I understand you're upset," he said calmly.

"Upset is an under statement," she murmured. "How did you get in here?"

"I broke into the back," he said as she opened her mouth to say something else, but he stopped her. "I had to talk to you," he said taking a deep breath. "I had to see you again." She stared back at him confused as he slowly took a step towards her. "I never wanted to use you, that wasn't my intentions. I meant every word I told you when we were together."

"I don't believe you," Celes said stepping around the counter.

"It's the truth," he said his eyes locking with hers. "I've care about you, everything about you, the way we made love-"

"You need to leave now!" she yelled feeling her head start to spin.

"Celes please," he begged. "This is the only chance I'm going to get to talk to you. That's why I broke in, because I know Billy-"

"Exactly," she snapped. "Billy is going to be here any second and he's going to kill you." Marcus took a deep breath feeling his anger rising hearing her say those words. He knew that Billy wouldn't be coming any time soon, him and his boys made sure of that. His car was still parked at Four Roses with four slashed tires.

"What happened that night," Marcus said his voice still soft. "At the gas station, it wasn't suppose to be like that. I should have never made you believe you were just some toy to dangle in front of him. Billy and I have our issues that started way back before you ever came into the picture. And I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like you were just being used." His eyes were soft as he stared at her. "Please," his voice begged. "You have to believe me." Celes could feel her body relaxing as she stared back at him. His eyes were pleading with hers and she was starting to believe that he was telling the truth.

"Okay," she finally said. "But you really need to leave, because Billy-"

"I don't give a shit about Billy," Marcus snapped as Celes jumped at his tone. "That's why I'm here. You don't need to be with a guy like that. You are too good of a person, too sweet, too innocent," his voice was lowered now as he smiled at her. "_I _can make you happy. I don't think you understand that I've never fallen for a girl this quickly before. I cannot get you out of my head. You have been the only thing I have thought about this entire week. There's no future with a guy like Billy. He doesn't know how to treat you the way-"

"Just stop!" Celes said approaching the counter. She closed her eyes for a second and inhaled a deep breath. Marcus was charming, and he was the complete opposite of Billy. But she knew that there was no way she would leave Billy. Not for him. Not for anyone. "I love him," she said quickly. Marcus pushed himself back up and stood up straight. "And nothing that you tell me is going to change that. So please," she said her voice soft. "Leave." He stared hard at her and shook his head.

"He doesn't know how lucky he is," he breathed out as she stared back at him. He patted the counter with his hand and took a step back. "I hope he knows that." He shrugged his shoulders letting out a deep breath and looked back at her. She stood in front of the counter her arms crossed over her chest. "Well," he grunted. "Since I can't convince you otherwise, I guess I'll go then." She was looking down at her hands now trying to piece together what had just happened. She glanced back up at him seeing the side of him as he took a slow step to heads towards the back. She wanted to say something to him, but didn't know what to say. She reached over to grab her purse when suddenly he spun around reaching his arms out and grasping her shoulders. She let out a shriek as he yanked her across the counter. She was screaming now, her legs kicking as she tried to get out of his grasp. She turned her head biting down hard on one of his hands as he yanked it away.

"You lil' bitch," he spat as she flipped herself over, but he was too quick as grabbed her by the hair and pulled off the counter. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as she tried to break free, but it was no use. She threw back her leg trying to kick him only to make both of them crash against the wall. He quickly flipped her around, his body pressed against hers as he held back her arms.

"Let me go!" she shrieked. He flash a devious smile at her as she fought back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She knew she shouldn't have believed him. Her main flaw in her life is was that she was too trusting to anyone's words. She didn't realize that he had a knife until she felt it being pressed against her cheek.

"Sssh," he whispered his face only inches from hers. His other hand moved up her shirt as she struggled with him. His hands slipped down and crept underneath the top part of her jeans. She winced as he glanced up at her. "Aw c'mon now, you liked it when I touched you here," he smirked as she stared back at him with wide eyes. He could feel her chest caving in and out now.

"Stop," she whimpered as he slowly pulled his hand out. He placed his hand on the side of her cheek feeling a tear hit his hand.

"We could have had something Celes," he breathed out as she closed her eyes. "I didn't want it to be like this, but Billy has left me no choice." She felt his lips press against hers as she let out another whimpered. This scene was too familiar to her. A flash came in her mind, Luke hovering over her and shouting. Kicking her, hitting her, always having to be in control. She had always been the victim in some way or another. But as she opened her eyes, she didn't see Marcus at all, all she could see was Savannah. Her sweet daughter that had already lost one parent. Suddenly an over whelming feeling of anger flooded over her. She refused to leave her daughter, she refused to be the victim again. She quickly wailed her knee up hitting him with as much force as she could in the groin. He let out a curse as his hands dropped from his face. She shoved him back as hard as she could as she darted towards the counter. She grabbed her purse, her hands fumbling as she reached in grabbing the gun. She felt his grasp on her shoulders as she swung her head back as he stumbled back.

She flung herself around, her arms stretched out holding the gun as steady as she could. He stared back at her, his hand covering his nose as he glared at her.

"You're going to shoot me baby?" he asked as she narrowed her eyes. He took a step forward as she placed her finger on the trigger. He put his hands out to the side, a sick smirk growing on his face. "Billy's not here to save you, I made sure of that." Celes's eyes widened hearing him say that.

"What did you to him?" she said her voice cracking. She knew there was a reason why he hadn't showed up.

"I wouldn't worry about him right now," Marcus barked placing his foot forward to take another step.

"Don't move," she said her voice still cracking. He knew she wasn't going to do it. He let out a stiff chuckle as he dropped his hands.

"You and I both know you're not going to pull that trigger Celes," he said his eyes piercing through hers. "Give me the fucking gun."

"No," she said pressing her back against the counter. "I mean it Marcus, I will fucking shoot you!" She was trying her damnest to control the shaking and make her voice sound more clear. Marcus could tell she was all talk. In the short time he had known her, he knew she wasn't the type to hurt someone. In a split second he lunged at her as Celes's finger pressed down on the trigger.

—

"Get your fucking ass here!" Billy yelled into his phone before he slammed it shut. He turned around kicking the side of his car leaving an indent. He had came out of the bar, already running late when he saw the slashed tires. Now thirty minutes later he was still waiting for Heco to show up. He had tried calling the Diner, and her house, but received no answer. An uneasy feeling was setting over him as he shoved a cigarette in his mouth. Bodie stood beside him his arms crossed looking out onto the road. A few more minutes passed before Bodie saw Heco's car pull up into the parking lot.

"He's here," Bodie said as Billy stalked towards the car. Heco and Tommy were in the front with three girls sitting in the back. Billy ripped the passenger side of the car open and glared at them.

"Get the fuck out," he barked as Tommy jumped out of the seat letting the three girls out. Bodie stepped into the back as Billy got into the passenger's side slamming the door shut before Tommy could get back in. "Drive," he ordered Heco as he hit the gas and headed towards the Diner.

Red flashing lights lit up the parking lot of the Diner as they approached. Billy's eyes widened as Heco hit the brakes. Billy flew out of the car and broke out into a jog as he approached the building. A crowd of people had formed around the yellow police tape as he pushed his way through. He was about to bust through the tape when an officer shoved him back.

"Sir," he said sternly as Billy's eyes fell down on him in a glare. "You need to step back."

"What the fuck happened?" he asked trying to push past the officer.

"Sir, I will not tell you again. Step back!" Billy's jaw clenched knowing that Marcus had something to do with this. If anything had happened to her, he didn't know what he would do.

"My girlfriend works here," he said through clenched teeth. "Where is she?"

"Celes Walker?" a woman officer asked as Billy turned his head. "Is Celes Walker your girlfriend?" Bodie and Heco were standing beside Billy now as he cleared his throat.

"Is she okay?" he asked quickly. She was silent as Billy's eyes narrowed at her. "Where the fuck is she?"

"She's been taken the Mercy hospital, but-" Billy didn't hear the rest of her words as he shoved his way back through the crowd running towards Heco's car.

—

Celes winced as the doctor finished stitching up the gash on her forehead. During her struggle with Marcus she hadn't even realized she had bashed her head that hard. Or the bruises that were on her arms. She had been numb through the whole thing that she hadn't even felt them. Still as she sat there, she could barely feel anything.

"Ma'am," someone said in a loud voice as Celes slowly turned her head. It took her a second, but she realized the lady standing in front of her was Detective Wallis. She hadn't even seen her walk in, let alone how long she had been standing there. "Do you remember me?" Celes nodded her head as the doctor put the finishing touches on her stitches. How could she forget her? She was the same detective that told her about Luke's death. "I would like to ask you a few questions."

"I already talked to an officer," Celes said quietly.

"Well I need to ask you a few questions," Detective Wallis said as the doctor walked out of the room. "What is your relationship with Marcus Barlow?" Celes stared at her not knowing what to say. "Celes?"

"I went on a few dates with him," she finally said.

"But?" She was prying now, trying to figure out why Marcus Barlow, one of the cities known drug dealers would attack her. She could tell Celes was still in a state of shock, but she wanted answers.

"But..." Celes gulped. "I ended up getting back with my boyfriend."

"Billy Darley?" Celes nodded her head and shifted on the bed. She didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to even think of what had happened at the Diner. The shots were so loud as they rang out into the air. When Marcus had lunged at her, she knew it was either him or her. Not even a second thought crossed her mind when she pulled the trigger. He had flung back, the bullet piercing through the skin on his arm. She knew she had stopped breathing as she stared at him. He had crouched down, cursing under his breath. When he finally looked up at her, she knew that wasn't going to stop him. He had lunged himself at her again, as Celes shot him in the shoulder. The pain had been overwhelming on him as he crumpled to the floor. She held the gun at him until the police had arrived.

"He's alive right?" Celes asked quickly remembering all the blood that covered the floor. "I mean...I...I didn't..."

"Yes, he's going to be fine. You told another officer that he had broken in and attacked you, is that correct?"

"He said...," her voice trailed off as she took a deep breath explaining to the detective everything that had happened. Detective Wallis didn't say a word as she scribbled down as much as she could onto her notepad. She believed every word Celes was saying, but she knew that she was leaving out one major detail.

"And you have no idea why he would attack you like that?" she asked.

"No," Celes said knowing Billy was the main reason. He had done something to Marcus, that was obvious. "Am I going to be arrested?"

"No, we're looking at this as an act of self defense. I do need to know where you got the gun from? Did Billy give it to you?" Celes nodded her head. Detective Wallis went to ask another question when she heard shouting coming from the hallway.

"I said you can't go in there!" someone yelled as the door flew open and Billy stormed into the room. Celes jumped at noise and stared at him. He stood staring back at her, his eyes wide seeing the gash on her head, the bruises covering her arms. She looked so fragile, so scared as she sat there.

"Did he fuckin' do that to you?" Billy barked. Celes looked back at Detective Wallis who was standing up now. "Where is he? Where the fuck is Marcus?"

"Mr. Darley I'm going to have to ask you leave," Detective Wallis said calmly. "I need to just ask her a few more-" Billy wasn't listening as he shoved past her.

"What did he do to you?" Billy asked as Celes's stared back at him with her mouth hanging. She was relieved to see him. She had no idea if Marcus was telling the truth back at the Diner when he said that he had made sure Billy wouldn't show. He started shaking his head, his skin turning red as he stared at the gash on her forehead. "I'm going to fucking kill him!"

"Billy stop," Celes said quickly reaching out for him. She couldn't let him loose his temper, not here in the room with the detective. He couldn't control his temper though, he couldn't control anything now. Somehow in the matter of weeks everything had spiraled out of control.

"I'm going to ask you one last time to step out of here," Detective Wallis said.

"Fuck you," Billy spat. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the fuck is going on!" Two officers were already walking into the room hearing the shouting from the hallway.

"Billy please clam down!" Celes practically yelled. She knew it was useless, nothing was going to calm him down now.

"Get him the hell out of here," Detective Wallis snapped as the two officers grabbed Billy by his arms. He was cursing at them both as another officer stepped in. Celes shoved her hands in her face as Billy tried to break free. They had somehow managed to drag him out into the hallway when Billy's eyes darted. Marcus was being escorted out of a room only a few feet down the hall. His hands were in cuffs in front of him as he slowly walked with two officers.

"Marcus you motherfucker!" Billy screamed as Marcus snapped his head back. Billy had broke free of the officers as he was charging down the hallway towards him. Marcus stopped quickly in his tracks and smiled widely at Billy.

"I warned you too many times Darley," Marcus said his face in a sick smile. "And I enjoyed every minute of her!" Billy's face twisted with his nostrils flaring as he reached behind his waistband to pull out his gun.

"He's got a gun!" an officer shouted as the other two tackled Billy to the ground. Marcus was laughing now as the two officers that were walking with him started to drag him away from the scene.

"This isn't over Marcus!" Billy screamed ignoring the pain he was feeling from cops knee being dug into his back. "You just bought yourself a death sentence motherfucker!"


	18. Over the Edge

1**Thanks for the reviews and so sorry for the delay! I rewrote this chapter about three different times. It's more a filler, but don't be shy and tell me what you think! :)**

**Chapter 18: Over the Edge**

Billy sat on the cold bench staring at the black bars a few feet away from him. His breathing was heavy as he leaned his head against the cement wall. A second thought never crossed his mind when he reached for his gun. Not Celes. Not Savannah. Not anyone. He wanted Marcus dead, it was that simple. If the officer hadn't seen him grab the gun. If he hadn't been tackled, everything would be different. He cursed under his breath wishing he had a cigarette. He could still see Celes's face as they dragged him out of the hospital in cuffs. She was standing by her hospital room door, a cross between horrified and pissed emotion spread across her face. He knew that she had heard everything. But what even was worse was when he got out in the parking lot. He was still fighting with the officers as Evie's vehicle pulled up. Brayden had stepped out first holding a half awake Savannah in his arms. Her bright blue eyes widened at the sight of him being taken away by the police. And now the only thing Billy could think about was what he almost ruined.

"Darley," an officer barked as he approached the holding cell. Billy pushed himself off the wall and stood up staring hard at the officer. The officer opened the door a glare in his eyes as waved his hand out. "You've been released." Billy sniffed as he strolled past the officer. His boys must have came up with bail money to get him out. The officer led him out of the holding cell and down the hallway hitting the buzzer on the door. They both stepped out, a smug look on Billy's face as he collected his personal belongings.

"Your lucky day huh?" another officer asked with a cross look on his face. Billy didn't say anything as he placed his keys back into his pocket. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and pulled one out placing it in his mouth. "There's no smoking allowed in here." Billy didn't respond as he strolled towards the door. He lit the cigarette up before he walked out and blew out a long line of smoke. A smirk grew across his face as he pushed opened the doors and walked out. The sun was shining down now as he glanced around the parking lot. His eyes stopped as he saw who was waiting for him. Billy ripped the cigarette out with his jaw clenched as he walked across the parking lot.

"Do you know how much I gotta wipe your fucking nose?" Bones belted out pushing himself off the hood of his car. The car jolted up from the pressure he had left as Billy took a long drag. "I gotta cash in a fuckin favor so your ass can go and fuck something else up. You think I enjoy that?"

"What do you want now?" Billy asked stepping up to him. Bones grunted and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"Someone smack your head against a wall!" Bones yelled. "You think your some kind of fuckin hero to that girl? Pulling a gun on some prick who I could give a rat's ass about, just so you can look like a fearless gang leader?" Billy sniffed, his eyes looking down at the pavement. "What you don't get is that I _care_ what fuckin' happens to you, cause it can hurt _me_!" He let out a stiff chuckle and slapped his hand against Billy's face. "So no more of this getting back at every asshole that the your lil girlfriend let's touch her." Billy pressed his lips together hard as he tried to control himself. "You want me off your ass tough guy? You want your girlfriend and that lil' girl to stay alive?" Billy slowly looked up and stared at him. "Then drop the savior act and get your fucking head back in the game." Billy nodded his head as Bones stepped away from him. He walked around to the driver's side and ripped open the door. "Your charges have been dropped. Now _you_," he said pointing at him, "owe _me_. And you don't want to owe me for long Billy boy. So get your ass back to work." Billy watched as he wiggled his way into his car and sped out of the parking lot. Owing Bones was like owing the devil himself, a debt he didn't want to keep for long. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Yea," Joe grumbled into the phone.

"Go get Bodie and come pick me up. We got a long fuckin' day," Billy spat.

—

Brayden walked into the kitchen with his head up downing the last of his soda when he heard Celes let out a scream. He stopped in his tracks and looked down to see her on the kitchen floor. She was bent down on her knees, a mop bucket only a few feet away from her. Her eyes were dark with last night's make up smeared across and her face was place. Her hair hung loose in a tangled pony tail with a few loose strands falling across her face.

"Do not take one step on to this floor with those shoes," she snapped holding a scrubber in her hand. He raised his eyebrows and glanced down at his shoes.

"They're not dirty," he mumbled as she shot him a glare.

"They're filthy and if you want to keep your manhood, then you need to back up." She let out a groan as she started scrubbing the floor again. She had been scrubbing the same stain for almost twenty minutes now. Her hands were beat red and starting to blister, but she could hardly feel it. Brayden glanced down the hallway seeing Bodie and Evie walking towards him. He gave Evie a warning look as her pace slowed down.

"What?" she mouthed as Brayden nudged his head towards the kitchen. Evie glanced in seeing Celes scrubbing away at the floor.

"I think she's about to have a nervous breakdown," Brayden whispered. Celes chucked the scrubber across the room and jumped to her feet. Her eyes were wild as she slammed her hands on her hips.

"Do you have something to say Brayden?" Celes asked annoyed.

"No," Brayden said quickly. "I...I uh...the floor looks _great_."

"Celes honey, why don't you sit down for a second or get you something to eat," Evie suggested. "Or maybe take a nap...shower?"

"I don't want to sit down," Celes stated as she tapped her bare foot against the floor. "Or a nap or a shower. I just want my life back. My simple fucking life back!" she yelled. The three of them stared at her as she started pacing back and forth through the kitchen with her arms waving around. "I mean, I'm a_ good _person. I take care of my daughter, I pay taxes, I donate to charities when I can, and I even give the fucking curitosy wave!" She stopped in her tracks and threw her hands up in the air. "But instead of getting rewarded for all my good deeds," her voice was rising as she turned around and kicked the mop bucket as hard as she could. "I get _attacked_!" Evie and Brayden both took a step back with their jaws dropped. Bodie stepped back a second later with curious eyes. He had seen many emotions from her before, but nothing like this.

"_Attacked _because my boyfriend is hot headed drug dealing asshole who only thinks about himself! So _now_ he's sitting in jail because he's an idiot and I'm scrubbing a stain that has probably been here since 1998!" She jabbed her finger towards Bodie and stared at him sternly. "And don't you _dare _repeat any of that!" Bodie quickly nodded his head at her. "You know what, tell him that! I'm going to be like him now! I'm not going to give two shits about what I do or who I hurt!" She took a few deep breaths before letting out an aggravated scream.

"Defiantly having a nervous break down," Brayden mumbled as Evie slapped him on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Okay Celes," Evie said walking over to her and placing her hands on her shoulders. "First take a deep breath." Celes nodded her head sucking in as much air as she could and let out a loud exhale. "Good. Now I'm going to go get Savannah up, if she's not already awake from that scream, and take her to the park. And you're going to go take yourself a nice long hot bath, then take a very long nap."

"I can't," Celes mumbled looking at the foot prints that she had tracked all over the floor. "I gotta finish cleaning the kitchen."

"Brayden can do that," Evie said quickly as Brayden let out a huff. "And Bodie is going to get Billy out of jail. And he'll come back here, and you'll work this out. Okay?" Before Celes could answer her front door flew open and Joe stepped in.

"Ever heard of fucking knocking?" Celes snapped as Joe took a step back with wide eyes.

"Just apologize," Brayden said. "_Quickly_."

"Sorry," Joe mumbled then nodded his head towards Bodie. "We gotta go. Billy's out-"

"He's out?" Celes asked as Joe already regretting saying those words in front of her. "Where is he?"

"At the police station...we're going to go get him."

"Is he coming here?" Celes asked.

"Uh..."

"Don't lie to me Joe."

"Don't lie to her Joe," Evie pipped in. The last time she saw Celes have a nervous breakdown was when Keaton died. There was a lot of crying, tons of cleaning, but hardly ever anger. Evie could tell that she hadn't even shed a tear about what had happened last night. It was like she had reached a breaking point where she couldn't do it anymore.

"He just told me to get Bodie and then go get him," Joe said knowing he wasn't about to tell her that Billy wanted to go straight to work. "You want me to tell him to call your or something?"

"No," she snapped. "I don't care if he calls me. I don't even care anymore." The room fell silent as everyone eyed each other nervously. Celes could feel their stares and waved her hand. "Just go...just get the hell out of my house." Bodie quickly walked to the door when Celes reached over and grabbed his shirt. "Bodie," she said her voice more calm as her fingers twisted around his shirt.

"Yea?" he asked staring down at her hand.

"Don't repeat what I said...don't repeat...anything," she stated then let go off his shirt. Bodie slowly nodded his head at her. She patted his chest and smiled at both of them. "Have a good day boys." Celes turned around walking out of the room. Evie was right, she needed a nice long hot bath before she completely flipped out.

—

Billy stuck his finger into the powdery substance and tasted it. He nodded his head as Baggy let out a sigh of relief. Billy had rounded everyone up to meet at the Office. He wasn't lying when he said it was going to be long day of work. It was getting close to midnight now, and everyone was getting tired. This was just the beginning of the boy's long night. They knew that Bones wasn't happy. If Bones wasn't happy, then Billy sure as hell wasn't happy, which in return made their lives miserable.

"Good shit right?" Heco said walking over to the table to get a taste for himself. Billy stretched out his arm before Heco could take another step. His palm slapped against his chest as Heco stared nervously at him. There had been a cold look in Billy's eyes since he had arrived at the office earlier that day.

"Get this shit down there and don't take a taste for yourself," Billy said sternly as Heco nodded his head. Billy looked over at Baggy as he jumped down from the table. "You take the other batch down to the overpass." He walked away grabbing his coat from a chair and threw it on. "I don't want to see either of you unless you've got my money. Understood?" Heco and Baggy both nodded their heads as they grabbed the product and walked out of the room. Billy rubbed his temples then pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Joe was sitting in a chair a few feet away as Bodie leaned against the wall.

"You seen her today?" Billy asked his eyes not leaving Joe as he shifted in his seat. "That's where you were at right Bodie? You stay the night over there?"

"Yeah dog," Bodie said. "She's a little shook up and shit, but she's good." He was lying through his teeth, but he didn't care. He knew Billy was already pissed off enough and wasn't about to add to it. Billy nodded his head and took a long drag from his cigarette.

"You think Marcus will walk?" Joe asked as Billy's jaw tightened.

"He better pray he doesn't," Billy said exhaling a long line of smoke. "Cause he's a dead man if he does." He fixed the collar on his jacket and turned around walking out of the room. His nerves were still shot as he climbed into his car and headed for Celes's house.

—

Brayden and Evie both sat on the couch drinking beer as they watched Celes. She had only been awake for three hours, but she was still cleaning like crazy. She came marching back into the living room with a big laundry hamper and chucked the clothes out of it.

"What are you doing?" Evie asked.

"Getting rid of stuff," she said as she walked back into her room slamming the door hard behind her. She went over to her top drawer and started throwing things she hadn't worn in a while into the hamper. She jerked open her door again and marched back into the living room. "I'm going to Goodwill in the morning so if anyone wants to get rid of their shit, now is the time to do it." She sat down on the floor crossing her legs indian style as she started putting the clothes into piles.

"Hey that's mine!" Evie exclaimed as Celes held up a purple top. Celes threw it over to her and continued to sort. She had already managed to clean the kitchen, bathroom, and storage closet top to bottom.

"You think she'll ever stop?" Brayden asked as Evie raised an eyebrow. "Last time I saw her this pissed was when Keaton forgot her birthday. She ended up giving away half of his stuff away to Goodwill."

"I can hear you Brayden," Celes said as she chucked a pair of ripped jeans onto a pile. She reached over grabbing her beer and downed the rest of her sixth beer for the night. Evie had taken Savannah to Joni's mother's house for the night. There was no way Celes was going to let her daughter see her act this way. She had tried everything to calm herself down. Taking deep breaths, using her pillow as a punching bag, but she felt like she was about to completely loose it. If she hadn't already.

"You want another beer?" Brayden asked as Evie gave him a dirty look.

"Yes," Celes snapped as Brayden quickly jumped up and walked into the kitchen. Evie slipped off the couch and sat down across from Celes.

"You wanna talk about what happened last night?" Evie asked.

"No," Celes said as Brayden walked back in handing her another beer. "No point in talking about it. It's not going to change anything."

"So you'd rather drink and clean?"

"Pretty much," Celes said then tipped the bottle to her mouth. "I'm going to go grab more stuff." She pushed herself off the carpet and walked back into her room. She bent down and crawled into the bottom of her closet grabbing shoes that she hadn't worn in ages. She was in the middle of debating whether to throw out an old pair of Chucks when she heard her bedroom door open. The foot steps were quiet as the door shut. Celes rolled her eyes knowing it was Evie wanting to talk to her. She hadn't talked to anyone about the attack besides Detective Wallis.

"Evie, I know you care and all, but I'm not in the mood to have girl talk," Celes called out from her closet. She scooted herself out and glanced up about to say something else when her mouth dropped. Billy stood only a few feet away from her. He stared at her through tired eyes as she clutched the shoe she was holding in her hand. She hadn't even thought of what she was going to say to him when she saw him. Just seeing him staring at her with a blank look on his face aggravated her more than anything. She swung back her arm and chucked the shoe she was holding towards him. He quickly moved out of the way as it smacked against her bedroom door.

"What the hell," Billy snapped as she grabbed another shoe and chucked it at him. He ducked his head as the shoe flew over him smacking into the wall.. "Celes what the fuck!" She didn't answer him as she grabbed another shoe and threw it in his direction. Billy's face twisted as he reached out and caught it in his hand. His face turned red as he threw the shoe across the room knocking over a picture frame and other items off of her dresser. "What is your fuckin' problem?"

"You!" she yelled jumping to her feet. She stormed over to her dresser and quickly grabbed the items and tossed them back on the dresser. Billy watched her an annoyed expression on his face as she spun around and glared at him. "What the hell were you thinking?"she demanded as Billy raised his eyebrows at her. His silence only frustrated her more as her neck started to tighten. "Oh wait, that's right, you _weren't_ thinking! Because if you had been thinking, then you would have been in that hospital room with _me_! Not outside in the hallway pulling out a gun and throwing threats at Marcus!"

"What the fuck was I suppose to do? He attacked you!"

"Well no shit," she said sarcastically. "The only reason why I got attacked was because you can't control your fucking temper! I shot Marcus because of you, do you understand that? I shot him! All of this," she yelled jabbing her finger towards him. "every bit of this is because of you!" Billy's face twisted as he quickly walked up to her. He placed his hands on the dresser corning her in.

"Keep your fucking voice down before you wake up Savannah," he hissed through clenched teeth. Celes let out a stiff laugh as she stared at him.

"Don't tell me what to do in my own damn house," she snapped. "She's _my_ daughter Billy, not yours." Billy's face fell as he felt his anger rising at her words. "And she's not even here tonight because I refuse to let her see me like this." She rubbed her face taking a deep breath. "I can't keep doing this." Billy's jaw tightened with his nostrils flared.

"Doing what?" he asked harshly.

"Us!" she said throwing her arms up in the air. "I keep pretending that everything is going to be okay between us. Because clearly we're not okay." She could see the redness creeping up on his neck as her eyes fell to the floor. "I'm not okay," she whispered looking back at him. "I'm not okay at all." Her hands were shaking as he leaned in closer to her. She shook her head quickly shoving her hands against his chest trying to make him back away from her, but he wouldn't budge.

"You think I liked having to sit in a fucking jail cell all night?" he asked in a low voice. The bruises Marcus had left on her arms were still dark as he took a deep breath. "What'd he do to you?"

"Doesn't matter anymore."

"I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Oh I'm sure you are," she spat. He turned his head away from her sucking in a deep breath. "Do you even care what happened to me?" she asked. He snapped his head back up and stared hard at her.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" he spat. "I just asked you what happened!"

"Then why are you just now showing up? I know Joe and Bodie went and got you this morning." He stepped away from her and reached in his pocket pulling out his cigarette pack and stuck one in his mouth. "I needed you." He didn't say anything as he lit the cigarette up taking a deep drag. "Fine!" she yelled as she shoved past him and flopped down on her bed. "You might as well just leave, because I don't need you here now." He smirked at her as he smoked his cigarette. "I'm being serious, get _out_!" Billy ripped the cigarette out of his mouth and stared sternly at her.

"I'm not fucking leaving," he stated simply. "I had some shit to take care of before I could get here."

"Is that answer suppose to satisfy me?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

"You don't need to know about it."

"Then you need to leave and not look back, because I'm not going to be left in the dark anymore," she snapped standing up and walking towards him. "Either you tell me right now or get the hell out of my life." His eyes locked with her as she stood in front of him. She didn't even know if she meant those words, but at the moment she was too furious with him.

"Fine," he spat. "You wanna know so fucking badly? Bones had made it fucking clear to me that if I don't start working off my debt that he's going to go after you and Savannah." Celes's face dropped as she took a step back. She tried to catch her breath but she felt her head spinning. A mixture of fear and anger ran through her as she stared at him.

"He threatened my daughter?" Her voice was cracking as she tried to fight back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Why in the hell is he threatening my daughter?"

"Because he's a fat bastard that doesn't like the idea that I might have something good going on in my life!" Billy yelled.

"Great!" she yelled throwing her hands up in the air. "Now my daughter's safety is on the line because of you!"

"Nothing is going to happen to her," he said more calmly.

"Just like nothing was suppose to happen to me?" she asked quietly. Billy looked away for a second knowing that she was telling the truth. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. And you won't let me go," she said shaking her head. "And for some damn reason _I _can't let you go...but.." She wiped the tears away from her eyes as he reached out to her and pulled her close to him. Every ounce of her wanted to fight him off, but she couldn't do it. She didn't have enough strength to do anything now. He was the last person she wanted to see, but the first person she needed right now. His arms wrapped tightly around her back as she buried her face into his chest. Tears slipped down her cheeks as he nuzzled his mouth to her ear.

"Bones will never touch Savannah or you," he whispered. "_Never_." This time Billy knew he would do anything and everything in his power to keep his word.

—

Morning light swept through the room as Billy let out a groan. Celes was laying beside him on the bed still fast asleep. He quietly moved off the bed rubbing his neck walking towards the door. He walked out of her bedroom and headed into the kitchen. Brayden was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper when he froze seeing Billy standing there.

"Hey," Billy mumbled as he walked past him and grabbed a glass from the dish drainer. He turned on the faucet watching the water fill up the glass.

"Hey," Brayden replied in an uneasy voice. He straighten his posture in the chair as he glanced over at Billy. "Celes up yet?" Billy shook his head no as he gulped down the rest of the water in the glass. "Evie went to go get Savannah." Billy placed the glass down on the counter and wiped his mouth looking over at him. "She stayed the night at Joni's mother house ya know." Brayden quickly looked down at the newspaper knowing that he wasn't really making any sense.

"She tell you anything?" Billy asked. Brayden shook his head taking a long drink from his glass of orange juice. "She didn't say anything about what he did to her?"

"She cleaned." There was a long silence as Brayden folded up the newspaper. He felt the sudden urge to get out of the house. Billy cleared his throat remembering that Celes wanted him to make feel Brayden more comfortable around him.

"Listen about all that shit that happened...," Billy started to say then shook his head letting out a grunt. He really had nothing against Brayden, and he wasn't one to apologize to anyone. Especially when he didn't mean it.

"She told you to apologize didn't she?" Brayden asked quickly. Billy stared back at him with his eyes narrowed. Brayden scratched his head letting out a hesitant laugh and stood up. "She's always been the peace keeper." Billy didn't say anything as Brayden walked over grabbing his keys off of the key ring. "Tell her we're cool and she'll drop it." Billy nodded his head as Brayden opened the front door. "Just..." he gulped down his words then stared hard at Billy. "Just be careful with her and Savannah, all right? They're all that I have left."

Brayden shut the door behind him as Billy leaned himself against the counter. He heard the scuffing of feet coming down the hallway as Celes stepped into the kitchen. She smiled weakly at him before walking over to the cabinets. After she had finally given into him, they really didn't say much at all last night. Both of them were exhausted about what all had happened. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up with water as he leaned towards her.

"You still pissed off?" he asked brushing his lips against her neck.

"I'm too tired to be pissed," she mumbled. He lifted up his hand and started lightly tracing over the bruises on her upper arm. Celes reached up intertwining her fingers with his as she brought his hand down to her waist. She knew that he wanted to know what had happened. What all Marcus had done to her, but she wasn't going to tell him. Like many things that had happened in her life, this was one thing that she wanted to keep to herself. It would only make him more angry, make him do something stupid again. This time, Billy would be the one left in the dark.

—

The next week Celes and Evie both walked into the Diner hearing a long string of cursing coming from behind the counter. They quickly approached counter and leaned over staring down at Big Mike who was laying on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Evie asked.

"No," he snapped chucking a screwdriver across the room. "I'm trying to install a panic button."

"Panic button?"

"It's part of the new alarm system," Big Mike barked as he sat up smacking his head under the counter. "Son of a bitch!" Celes and Evie both covered their mouths as he stood up. "After what happened to Celes last week, I thought it would be a good time to finally install one."

"Don't they usually send someone to install one?" Celes asked.

"Yes, but they sent some schmuck down here who didn't even know what the difference between a flathead and a Phillip's. So I sent his ass packing and told him he better not charge for a set up fee. And now I'm stuck with an alarm system that doesn't even work." Both of the girls tried to control their laughter as he glared at them. "What are you two doing here? It's your day off."

"Pay day. Give us our hard earned money," Evie said pushing out her head as Big Mike let out a chuckle. He walked over to the cash register and pulled out their checks from underneath the drawer. "Thank you sir," Evie said giving him a huge smile.

"Good luck with the alarm system," Celes said as Big Mike let out a groan climbing back down the floor. The girls walked out of the Diner and back to Celes's truck. Savannah was in school and for once Evie and her were finally having a girl's day. They talked about everything and anything besides the obvious issue, Billy. He had been staying at the house still, mainly only showing up at night after pulling long days at the Office. There was still tension between them, but neither one of them wanted to discuss it. It was something that Celes knew would eventually pass. The one thing she was grateful for was that they weren't fighting anymore. Especially after having a post nervous breakdown, because she really didn't know how much more she could honestly handle.

The girls walked into the house as Celes headed to her bedroom.. Dirty clothes were spilling out onto the floor as she dragged the hamper out of the room. Evie let out a laugh at the sight of her. Celes smiled back as she started sorting those clothes out into two separate piles.

"Aww how sweet you're doing his laundry," Evie said. "Speaking of," Celes sighed knowing what she was about to get out. "Everything going okay between you and my favorite asshole?"

"Me and the asshole are doing fine," Celes replied. Evie raised her eyebrows knowing that there was more to it, but she wasn't giving in. "How's Bodie doing these days?"

"Kiss it," Evie quipped as Celes let out a giggle. Celes reached down picking up a couple pair of jeans and started checking the pockets. Evie started to tell her a story when Celes felt something in a pair of Billy's dark blue jeans. She pulled it out, almost about to laugh at what Evie had said, when she froze. Her hand started to tremble as she stared down at the photograph that she had found. It was a picture of Savannah and her from a few years ago. She didn't even have a copy of it, it was one that Luke had always kept in his wallet.

"Celes?" Evie asked snapping her fingers. "Hey, Earth to Celes..." She walked over and stared down at what Celes was holding. "Are you okay?" Celes couldn't breathe as she felt the room starting to slowly close in on her. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'll be back," Celes said suddenly racing over to the kitchen table to snatch up her keys.

"Where are you going?" Evie asked but the only answer she got was the front door slamming shut. Celes cursed as she slammed the key into the ignition and barreled her truck out of the driveway. There was only one way Billy could have gotten a hold of the picture. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tight as she sped down the street towards the Office.


	19. Face to Face

1Thanks to everyone that left reviews! And I wanna hear more so don't forget to push that lil button below after you get done reading it. :) :)

**Chapter 19: Face to Face**

The engine roared through the streets as Celes pushed her foot onto the gas pedal. Her head was spinning out of control as she made a sharp left. The streets that surrounded her were getting more dingy as she tried to remember how to get to the Office. She had only been there once before when she had first met Billy. He had made it clear that the Office was off limits. As if somehow he was protecting her from that as well. Nothing he could do now could protect her now. What she had needed was protection from him. She felt numb, a feeling that was becoming like a second friend to her as she took another sharp turn. She could see the old crumbling asylum building up ahead. Her heart started racing while her palms felt more clammy. She slammed on the brakes sending her body crashing into the steering wheel. The strike to her chest didn't phase her as she jumped out of her truck. She grabbed the picture, crumpling it in her hand, as she stormed up the steps of the building.

She had no idea where he would be at. The building was huge, but she could hear the sound of faint voices and followed them. The place was dingy and dark, and any other time the atmosphere itself would have sent chills through her. Her footsteps echoed through the hall as she felt the bile rising in her throat. She turned a corner seeing a low light filling the end of the hallway. Her eyes were on fire as she quickly walked through the opening and stepped in. The smell was overwhelming. Tables were set up through the room, a lab set in the middle with hanging baskets. Bodie and Joe were both laughing when suddenly Joe stopped. His eyes widened at her standing there glaring at all of them. Bodie looked at Joe questioning him when Joe nudged him hard. Bodie glanced over seeing her standing there.

"Something happen?" Bodie asked quickly knowing that Celes would never show up at the Office unless it was important.

"Where is he?" she demanded. Her hands started to shake as she scanned the room. Heco and Tommy were on the other side of the room. Both of their eyes wide as they leaned over the product that they had been in the middle of making. They both eyed Bodie who shrugged his shoulders. Celes wasn't about to let them try to get her out of there before Billy saw her. "_Billy_!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"He's going to be pissed," Joe mumbled.

Billy sat in the first pew, his elbows bent down on his knees as he stared up at the crumbling angel that hung above him. The room he was sitting was once used as a Chapel. It was a place he went to every time he needed to clear his head. A place he had been visiting quite often since he had got with Celes. The sudden scream he heard jolted his deep thinking. He stormed out of the room and jerked the door open stepping out into the lab. His head was titled back with his lips pursed together as he stared straight ahead.

"What?" he barked out. All the tables and hanging basket had Celes hidden away. Joe nudged his head to the side, but Billy didn't catch on. His eyes darted seeing someone step out. The lights were so low in the room that he had to squint for a moment. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her long brown hair flowing over her shoulders, with a dead cold glare in her eyes. Billy's eyes bulged out realizing it was Celes standing there. His feet pounded against the floor as he stormed towards her. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded throwing his finger out towards her. " I told you to never fucking come here!"

"Where did you get this!" Celes screamed shoving the picture in front of Billy's face. His chest began to rise up and down, a tightness in his neck grew as he started down at it. "I found this in your jeans." He reached over trying to grab her arm, but she jerked back. "I know who this belonged to!" Her heart was racing now as she threw the picture at him. "You told me you didn't know what happened to him!"

"We'll talk about this outside," he hissed glancing over at the guys. Heco and Tommy had quickly walked over to where Bodie and Joe were standing. They didn't want to be anywhere near the explosion that was about to happen. Billy narrowed his eyes at the four of them making them all look away quickly.

"You lied to me!" she yelled.

"You don't know a fucking thing, now get outside," he demanded grabbing her arm. The instant she felt his fingers curl around her arm a flood of anger washed over her. She took her free hand and swung it back, slapping the backside of her hand across his face. Billy's head snapped to the side, a stinging sensation burning through his skin. A deep growl escaped his throat as his eyes grew dark. Not only had he warned her to never touch him again, but she had made a fool of him in front of his boys. Celes didn't budge as the wild look in her eyes fell on him. Before she would have possibly took off running knowing what he was capable of doing. Not anymore.

"Fuckin' bitch," he spat throwing his arms on top of her shoulders. His face was twisted, nostrils flared as he grabbed her. She fought back to get out of his grip, but he was way too strong for her. She felt his fingers digging through her skin as he started shoving them both towards the opening of the room.

"Get off of me!" she shrieked kicking her feet up. Billy had somehow managed to turn her around, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as he dragged the both of them down the hallway. Celes threw her head back slamming it into his chest. It was like smashing her head into concrete. Her arms were flung around, smacking his face, his chest, anywhere to get him to loosen his grip. She turned her head to the side and bit down hard on his upper arm. He felt her teeth sinking into her skin, but his grip never loosened. Nothing was going to stop him as they both stumbled out of the building and down the steps.

"Let me go you piece of shit!" she yelled after she almost tripped down the last step. His breath was hot on her neck. He sniffed, swinging her body around, making her face him. He held onto her upper arms tight as he shoved his forehead against her's.

"What did I fucking tell you?" he demanded as he started to shake her. "I told you to never fucking touch me!" His cold eyes pierced through her's. She had seen him be scary before, but this was terrifying. She felt almost paralyzed until something clicked in her head. Maybe it was from all the abuse she had endured before him, or maybe she thought for once she had something to prove. Either way Celes knew that she had gone too far to back down now.

"Get your damn hands off of me," she hissed at him.

"I didn't kill him," Billy growled.

"_Bullshit_! Luke always kept that picture in his wallet" Billy grinded his teeth, digging his fingers into her skin. "Why did you do it? Why did you lie to me!" Joe and Bodie's feet were pounding down the stairs as they raced over towards the two of them. Billy had somehow been able to hold himself back when it came to Celes. He would never cross the line, but Joe could see something different in his eyes this time. He knew if something wasn't done, his brother would hurt her.

"Let her go," Joe yelled as he approached the two of them.

"Don't hurt her dog," Bodie said as calmly as he could.

"Stay the fuck out of this!" Billy screamed at the two of them making them both stop in their tracks. He didn't know what to think anymore. He couldn't even tell who he was these days. He was torn between the person he had always been and the person he had became when she was around.

"You're pathetic," Celes spat. She knew that Bodie and Joe were only trying to help her out. She didn't want their help. The tightness of his grip increased sending shooting pains through her body. Finding the picture was the tip of the ice berg for her. All she wanted to do was hurt Billy as badly as he had hurt her in past few months. "Now I know why Bones treats you like his little bitch, look at you!" Any control Billy was trying to hold was lost as he slammed her body against her truck with full force. A stiff laugh escaped her throat as Bodie and Joe stared at her in horror. She had definitely lost it this time. "Did you think Luke was some kind of threat to you?"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" he screamed with spit flying out of his mouth.

"That's why you killed him isn't it? So you could have some psychotic claim on me?"

"Why the fuck do you care about some prick that use to beat the shit out of you?" he demanded.

"Look what you're doing now! How are you any better than he was?" she challenged.

"I'm nothing like that asshole," he stated. His lips smashed together as he inhaled a deep breath through his nose. "I wasn't the one beating your daughter." Celes stared back at him in horror. Her mouth had dropped, her face turning pale as she tried to process the words he had just spoke.

"You're lying," she choked out. Billy shook his head at her as tears swelled up in her eyes. There was no way that Luke touched her daughter. He was making this up to get back at her. It was just another one of sick mind games. "You're fucking lying!"

"You never noticed bruises on her?" Billy demanded. Images flashed through her mind, every scratch, every bruise was playing through her head.

"Shut up!"

"She told me Celes," Billy yelled loosening his grip on her. "While you were at work, anything she did wrong, he hit her." Celes shook her head violently. "He threw her across a room for dropping a damn plate."

"That never happened," Celes snapped. "She would have came to me, she would have told me, I'm her _mother_! She wouldn't tell you something like this!"

"She told me one day at the Diner when she saw him standing outside," Billy said his voice more low as he dropped his hands from her arms. She shoved her hands into his chest sending him stumbling a few steps back.

"Stop it!" she screamed. "Stop lying to me!" But Billy couldn't stop. He could see the shock and pain on Celes's face, but she had to know. "Luke never touched her..." she let out sob "...he wouldn't touch her...he would _never_ hurt her!"

"He did," Billy insisted as she shoved him again. "Why the fuck would I make this up?" Celes buried her face into her hands not answering him. She could feel getting closer to her. "She told me to pinky promise her that I wouldn't tell you," he whispered. Celes made a gasping noise as the reality finally had hit her. Savannah was a kid that was always tripping over something or falling. The fact that she hadn't broken a bone always amazed her. After two long years of putting up with Luke's abuse, she never thought once that he would touch her daughter. How could she have been so blind?

"She's a child," she sobbed. "She's just a baby...how could he..." her words drifted off as she started to cry harder. She could feel the light touch of his hands moving up her arms, but she didn't want to be near him. He had just thrown the worst news in the world at her. She smacked his arms out of the way as he took a step back. "Stay the fuck away from me!" she shouted. "Don't ever come near me again!" She turned around quickly ripping the truck door open. Her hands were shaking as she climbed in. She reached into her pocket pulling out the keys and tried to stick them in the ignition. She cursed under her breath as she tried to control her sobbing. No matter how many deep breaths she took nothing was stopping the flood of tears coming from her eyes. Her truck door slowly opened as she looked over seeing Joe standing there. He reached over, a sympathetic look on his face and grabbed the keys from her hands.

"Scoot over," he said as she slowly nodded her head. She glanced over seeing Bodie pulling on the collar of Billy's jacket. His eyes were a dead set glare with hers as he watched Joe start up her truck. He slowly pulled the truck out of the lot and headed back towards her house. The second the truck was out of site Billy turned to Heco's car. He clutched his fist as hard as he could and inhaling as much air as his lungs could take. Anger surged through him like electricity as he slammed his hand into the side of the car. His knuckles instantly became red, his skin busting as the metal on the car dented in. He had never planned to kill Luke when he first stepped into that motel room. Once he came face to face to him, all of that changed. Savannah was just a child. A little girl that had intrusted him with a secret that she hadn't told anyone. It was like he owed her in one way or another, that he needed to protect her, even though she wasn't his daughter. He had lived the life she had endured. He had the scars on his face to prove what happened when you stepped out of line. Celes might not understand his irrational thinking, but he didn't care. Even if he lost her forever, he would never regret what he had done.

Celes drew in a deep breath as Joe drove back towards her house. He reached into his pocket pulling out a cigarette and handed it to her. Her eyes were beginning to grow puffy as she inhaled long drags. Joe had no idea what to say to her, but he knew he had to get her out of there. He wasn't for sure if his brother had actually killed Luke himself or had one of the other guys do it. His thought had always been that Billy just saw him as a threat. Now he knew the real reason why and he didn't blame Billy at all. He would have killed Luke himself if he knew what he had done to Savannah. Joe pulled the truck into the driveway as Evie and Brayden both busted out the door. Celes let out a groan knowing she would have to explain everything that had happened. She reached for the door handle when Joe leaned over and lightly touched her hand

"You're not a bad mother," he said quietly giving her hand a quick squeeze. She brushed away the last few tears that were stained to her cheeks giving him a weak smile. The door of the truck slowly pulled open as Evie stood in front of her. Celes slipped out of the truck and lightly shut the door behind her. She wasn't ready to face the reality of what had happen.

"What happened?" Evie asked. She must have looked worse than she thought by the way Evie was staring at her. Brayden walked over towards the driver's side before Joe could leave. Joe rolled down his window, his voice low as Evie guided Celes towards the house.

"Son of a bitch," Brayden hissed after Joe had finished telling him what was going on. Joe knew it wasn't his place, but he knew that if Savannah was his niece, he would want to know. Brayden inhaled a deep breath staring down at the ground with wide eyes. He blamed himself. He knew the situation with Luke and Celes was bad, but he had no idea how big of a monster Luke really was. Worst of all he couldn't shake the plague of guilt he felt knowing that he had let Keaton down.

"You care to drive me back?" Joe asked. Brayden pushed himself off the truck and nodded his head. Brayden climbed into the truck, his breathing still heavy as Joe headed back to the Office.

They pulled up to the building seeing Billy sitting on the steps smoking a cigarette. He hadn't even noticed them pulling up when he heard a door shut. He glanced up seeing Joe walking towards him. Joe could tell he didn't want to be bothered as he took each step quickly walking back into the Office. Billy eyes wandered at the truck seeing Brayden behind the wheel. His head dropped as he took another drag off of his cigarette. Brayden's fingers tapped against the steering wheel as he watched him. He wasnt' for sure what he was doing when he opened the truck door and stepped out. The gravel crunched under his shoes as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Billy glanced up at him tossing the cigarette onto the ground and smashed it with his boot.

"Yeah?" Billy asked in an annoyed tone. He stared at him hard as he waited for Brayden to say something. Instead Brayden pulled his hand out of his pocket and pushed it forward towards Billy. Billy stared at it for a second then grabbed it and shook his hand. Neither of them spoke a word, knowing they didn't have too. Billy had done something that Brayden only wished he could have done himself. For that, he had his respect.

—

Celes sat next to Savannah on the bed brushing her hair out. She had just taken a bath, and the mop of curls on her head was a tangled mess. She had gathered herself together by the time Savannah had gotten home from school. She had tried to act normal around her, Evie was a big help by stepping in every time Celes could feel herself getting choked up. When she told Evie what Billy had said, what he had done, she stared at her in shock. For the first time in Evie's life she was actually speechless.

"When's Billy going to get here?" Savannah asked as Celes placed the hairbrush down on her night stand.

"I don't think he's coming over tonight," Celes said giving her a smile. She could see the disappointment in her daughter's face.

"I made him something," Savannah said jumping off her bed and scrambling towards her backpack. She opened the zipper and pulled out a picture laying it on the bed. Celes looked over at the white paper to see a two stick figures drawn out in crayon. One was taller, with no hair and the other one shorter with big loops of what was suppose to be curls. Both stick figures had a triangle drawn out in red behind them. Red capes. Celes smiled as she picked up the picture then looked at Savannah.

"Is this you and Billy?" she asked as Savannah nodded her head quickly. "Super hero's huh?"

"Yep," Savannah said jumping back on the bed. "My teacher said we were suppose to draw heros, and I drew me and Billy. See," she said pointing to the smaller stick figure. "That's my hair mom."

"I see that," Celes said placing the paper back down on the bed. It was never going to be the right time to ask Savannah about Luke. Honestly she didn't even want to do it, but she knew she had too. A pain struck through her heart as she pushed some of the curls out of her daughter's face. "Sweetie, I need to ask you something." Savannah looked up at her and patiently waited as Celes tried to find the right words. "When we use to live with Luke, did he..." she sucked in a deep breath knowing there was no other way around it. "...did he hurt you?" Savannah tugged on the sleeves of her pajamas and stared down at her bedspread.

"I know," Savannah said in a low voice.

"Because if he did hurt you, you really need to tell me." Savannah silence was driving a knife through Celes's chest. "You're not going to get into trouble." Savannah's big blue eyes looked up at her. The look on her face told Celes that Billy had been telling the truth. She had kept wishing to herself that he was just playing some sick twisted game with her.

"He said he would tell you I was lying," Savannah whimpered. Celes's heart shattered into a million pieces as she quickly pulled Savannah into her lap. "Did he come back for us? Is he going to make us leave?"

"No baby," Celes whispered rocking her back and forth. She kissed the top of her head as Savannah let out another whimper. "You're safe now, you never have worry about him anymore. I promise," her voice cracked as she continued to rock her. It seemed like hours had passed before Savannah had finally fallen asleep. Even though there wasn't much room on her daybed, Celes couldn't leave her. She watched her as she slept, watched every little breath Savannah took. She couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling. The door slowly crept open as Brayden stepped in.

"Hey," he said softly walking into the room and kneeling down beside the bed. "How she doing?"

"She finally went to sleep," Celes muttered adjusting herself on the bed trying not to wake Savannah. "You know what happened, don't you?" Brayden bit back his bottom lip and nodded his head. He could see the torn look on her face as he gently rubbed her arm.

"Don't do this to yourself," he whispered at her. "Don't blame yourself for what he did." Celes shook her head feeling the tears swelling back into her eyes. "If you would have known something was going on, you would have stopped it."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "The signs where right there in front of me. Maybe somewhere in the back of my mind-"

"I know you too well, and I know you're blaming yourself right now," he said as his voice grew more sternly. "You would have stopped it Celes." He leaned over embracing her in a hug that he knew she needed right now. Although Brayden's words comforted her, she still couldn't erase the pain of guilt she felt.

—

Days slipped by without a word from Billy. She knew she had told him to stay away, but she didn't know how serious he would take her words. The sick feeling in her stomach hadn't gone away. Now as she sat in the District Attorneys's office sitting across from Detective Wallis, she felt like she was going to throw up. Marcus had a lot of priors in his past, one of the main suspects on many crimes, but for once they could actually pin something on him.

"He's facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon," Detective Wallis stated as Celes sipped on the glass of water. "I need you on the stand to testify of what happened that night." She could see the expression on Celes's face as she reached over placing her hand on top of her's. "This may be the only chance we get to put him behind bars."

"How long will he be in there?" Celes asked quietly while she traced the cold sweat off of her glass.

"Depends," Richard, her attorney said adjusting himself in his seat. "The maximum sentence would be two years with the possibility of parole. His attorney has already tried to make a deal, but we've denied it. The least he will get is six months."

"That's it? That's all the time he gets for trying to kill me?" her voice was starting to rise.

"They're going to argue that this could all have just been a domestic situation," Richard explained. "The only charge that we can actually pin him to is assault."

"He was going to kill me."

"I know that, you know that, but it's not going to hold up in court. It's either this or nothing. You're going to have to get up there on the stand and tell them what happened. Can you do that?" Celes slowly nodded her head feeling uneasy. She couldn't even tell her best friend what had happened that night. How was she suppose to stand in a court room filled with people and tell them? She wasn't ready to face Marcus. She knew that if she didn't , he would go free. Free to come after her again. She wasn't about to let that happen.

—

Brayden dangled his arm out the passenger window flicking his cigarette out towards the curb. Joe took the next stoplight and pulled up into a parking garage. Brayden wasn't for sure exactly why he had agreed to go with Joe. The house was getting depressing. Celes was slowly becoming a ghost, only talking when Savannah was around. He had tried to talk to her about Billy, but she waved him off. Said it didn't matter anymore, nothing seemed to matter anymore these days. Gigs around town weren't panning out, and cash was starting to get lower and lower. When he had gone out to the bar with Joe, Evie, Joni, and Bodie the other night, Evie had made a comment about him being broke. Joe told him if he was ever in the need for some quick cash, he could tag along on a few errands with him. Now as they pulled into the parking lot, Brayden was questioning what he had gotten himself into.

"What are we doing again?" Brayden asked as Joe shut off the car.

"You'll see," Joe said cracking a grin. They both stepped out of the car, Joe sucking on his cigarette as they walked around to the trunk. Joe stuck the key in, pulling out a gas can. Brayden stared at him, his eyebrows raised wondering what exactly Joe had in mind. "Sometimes when Billy's too busy, he sends me out to collect."

"Sends you?" Brayden asked knowing he had instantly offended Joe. Joe glared at him as he flicked his cigarette to the side. "I didn't mean it like that man."

"I might not look as scary as my brother, but I can still do the damn job," Joe muttered. Brayden stuffed his hands in his pockets as they continued to walk. Joe could sense Brayden's nervousness. "It's not like we're going to kill the fucker." He knew that Billy would be pissed if he knew Brayden was coming along with him. Things around the place were once again on thin ice. Billy was a monster by day, screaming his head off at every little mistake. When he wasn't yelling he was spending the nights with a bottle of Jack. Even the guys were starting to show the affects of what the last couple of weeks had brung. Billy told Joe to take Heco along, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with his spun out ass. So instead he called Brayden. "We're just going to scare him."

"Scare him?" Brayden repeated. Joe went to say something then stopped seeing who the guy he had been sent to collect from walk out of the elevator. He strolled across the parking lot, unaware that Joe and Brayden were watching him.

"Nothing scares anyone more than thinking they're going to burn to death." Joe nodded his head, slapping Brayden on the chest as they both took quick steps. The only details Joe knew about the guy was that he worked as an office official for the city. He owed enough money for Bones to start throwing out threats. The man was already in his car when Joe quickly approached twisting the top off of the can. The amber liquid poured out covering the top and seeping down the windows. The man froze staring at the two of them. Joe twirled his finger around as the man reached over letting roll down a few inches.

"How you doin' today?" Joe asked as Brayden placed a cigarette in his mouth. The man stared back at them, his jaw quivering knowing exactly who had sent them. "I can see you already know who I am and why I'm here. So let's cut this bullshit. Either you give me what you owe or my friend here," he said slapping Brayden shoulder. "Is going to light your ass on fire." The liquid flew through the crack of the window dosing the man. Brayden bent down, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His thumb ran across the wheel of the lighter, a yellow flame glowing sending a straight shock of fear into the man. Brayden's cheeks caved in as he sucked in a deep drag flicking his thumb off the lighter. He smirked at the man, letting the smoke blow through the crack in the window.

"I..I..," the man stuttered. "I d-d-on't have your money."

"That's a real fucking shame," Joe said as Brayden took another drag from his cigarette. "Guess my friend here is going to have to put your ass to a fiery end." He knew that Joe said they weren't going to kill him, but from the look in Joe's eyes, he was beginning to second guess himself. He might not be as scary as Billy was on first sight, but now Joe was starting to be more intimating. Joe nudged Brayden as Brayden took a quick step up the window. "Get him Brayden." Before Brayden could even act like he was going to toss the cigarette the man quickly reached over towards his briefcase. Joe grabbed the gun that was tightly secured in his waist band and pulled it out.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Joe yelled wrapping his hand tightly around the gun and pointing it straight at the man.

"I'm getting the money!" the man yelled in a panic. A clip of one hundred dollar bills flew through the crack in the window as Brayden reached down scooping it up. "Just don't kill me! Please," the man pleaded sweat starting to appear on his forehead. "I have a family."

"Me too," Joe said taking the clip of money from Brayden. He fanned through it and looked up at the man. "You have a nice day." He smacked Brayden who nodded at the man as they both turned around and strolled away. When they got back into the car, Joe let out a loud laugh as Brayden grunted.

"Here ya go man," Joe said slipping him a bill. He started the car as Brayden stared down at the bill. Getting the man to hand over the money had only lasted what looked like seconds. In those seconds, Brayden felt a rush that he had never experienced before. "Easy money," Joe said with another laugh.

"Easy money," Brayden replied shoving the bill into his pocket.

"Now let's go get a fuckin' drink."

—

The courtroom was silent as Celes's heels clicked against the floor. She smoothed out her gray button jacket as she approached the stand. Her hands were trembling as she sat down and glanced over in the direction Marcus was sitting. He glanced up at her giving her a little wink that sent chills down her spine. He inhaled a deep breath and quickly turned her head seeing Brayden, Evie, and Joni all sitting out there. She didn't want them there, but she knew they wouldn't have it any other way. Even though she hadn't shown much emotion, they knew that she needed them there. Marcus's lawyer stood up and walked towards her. Her body tensed as he started asking questions of her relationship with Marcus. Her voice cracked, her words stuttering only making the smile on Marcus's face become more smug.

"Isn't it true, that one night when you were still with Marcus, your boyfriend Billy Darley, a notorious gang leader, threatened my client's life? Sounds like to me Mrs. Walker, that you were just using my client as a pawn to make your boyfriend jealous. He has quite the wrap sheet-"

"Objection your honor," Richard cut in. "My client's relationship with Billy Darley is not on trial here."

"Sustained," the judge said. Celes inhaled another deep breath as the lawyer continued.

"In the night in question that you claim my client attacked you, why didn't you simply just call the police when he showed up?"

"Because he said that he just wanted to talk," Celes said.

"So you weren't scared of him?"

"Well...yes, I mean, I was-" Her eye started to twitch as she tried to gather her words.

"But you didn't call the police?"

"No, he said he just wanted to talk, and I told him to leave-"

"Then you shot him correct?"

"No!" Celes said feeling frustrated. "I mean yes," she took in a deep breath feeling the tears swelling in her eyes. "But he attacked me first."

"Mrs. Walker, if you would please give me your verison of what happened the night that you shot my client." Celes felt her neck starting to tighten. The way his lawyer was going on, it seemed like Celes should have been the one on trial. She rubbed her hands together trying to keep them from shaking as she closed her eyes. She bit back her lip as the lawyer repeated for her to tell what had happened that night.

"Marcus," she said her lower lip trembling. "He...he.." Brayden, Evie, and Joni were all giving her sympathetic looks as her eyes darted to the other side of the sitting area. She couldn't look at them while she told what had happened that night. She didn't want to see the look of pity, the familiar look she had gotten her own life, to be staring back at her. She needed something to focus on as she tried to start her sentence again. "Marcus came in after close," she started to say when she stopped suddenly. The door to the courtroom opened as Billy slipped in. His eyes were locked with her's as he cooly leaned himself against the back wall. He crossed his arms over his chest, his head tilted back as he stared at her. _"What the hell is he doing here?" she asked herself. _Marcus glanced behind him, noticing the changed reaction in Celes's face as he spotted Billy standing there. Billy didn't even look his way, his eyes were still glued on Celes.

"Mrs. Walker, please tell the court what happened the night my client came into your work place." Celes adjusted herself in her seat, her eyes still locked on his. His gaze wasn't a stern one or a sympathetic one. He didn't look mad or happy to be there. He showed no emotion at all. A wave of paranoia came across her wondering how he was going to react once he heard what happened that night.

"You've got to be kidding me," Evie whispered realizing who had just walked into the courtroom. She nudged Brayden who glanced back and cursed under his breath. The night before Joe and him had went to Four Roses to get a drink. Brayden didn't think much of it when Bodie asked how Celes was doing. He was telling them about the court date unaware that Billy was even standing near him. He didn't say anything, but the sour look on his face told him that he wasn't happy about it at all. Now he wished he would have just kept his mouth shut.

"Mrs. Walker, please continue," the judge said sternly as Celes quickly nodded her head. She looked back at him again, but saw something different in his eyes. It was like he was urging her to continue.

"Marcus broke into my work," Celes stated keeping her eyes set on Billy. "He told me he just wanted to talk, apologize for what had happened between us. He asked me to give him another chance, and I told him no, and told him to leave. He finally started to walk out, but then he turned around and grabbed me..." She could see the redness growing in Billy's face as she spoke. His jaw was clenched as his veins slowly started popping up one by one around his neck. Her words spilled out into the courtroom, not once did she stutter or pause. Flashes of that night, Marcus hands roaming on her, every last detail came out of her mouth. Marcus's lawyer tried to second guess her, but she wouldn't let him. Billy's eyes never left her's, not even after she finished talking.

"No more questions your honor," the lawyer said sitting back down. The judge told her she could step down as she slowly stood up. Her feet felt like concrete as she walked back to her seat. She sat down trying to catch her breath. She glanced over at Marcus who had propped his elbows on the table giving her a dead glare. What surprised him and even herself was the smug smile she gave back to him. He couldn't hurt her here, and they both knew that. The courtroom had been put to a recess while the judge went back to his chambers. Richard started rambling to Celes on how well she delivered up there. Those words flew in one ear and out the other as she scanned the room for Billy. He was no where in sight now. It seemed like hours had passed when the judge finally came back into the courtroom. Celes was chewing on the inside of her mouth as she waited to hear the verdict. If Marcus was a free man, there was no telling what he would do.

"You have quite the wrap sheet Mr. Barlow," the judge said with his eyebrows raised. "Breaking and entering, drug trafficking, and now assault."

"Your honor-" his lawyer cut in with a panic voice. "My client-"

"I'm not finished counsel," the judge snapped clearly annoyed that he had been interrupted. "With much consideration and from the testimony of Mrs. Walker I have come to a decision." Celes placed her index finger on the corner of her eye trying to stop it from twitching. " Mr. Barlow you have somehow managed to jump through many loops in the court system. I cannot say that I agree on the tactics your counsel in the past has managed to pull or if those tactics would even be considered to go by the law. What I do know, Mr. Barlow, that having you off of my streets would make me rest better at night." Celes pushed herself up on the edge of her chair. "Therefore, I hereby sentence you to the maximum sentence that I am allowed, of two years with _no_ parole." Celes threw herself back in the chair exhaling the breath she had been holding since the judge had walked into the room. She quickly turned around seeing the excitement on Evie's face as her eyes darted. Billy was standing back in the same position he had been earlier.

"Your honor I am looking at this as a-" Marcus's lawyer cut in again almost dumbfounded.

"Court adjourned," the judge said tapping his gavel.

"We're going to appeal this your honor," Marcus's lawyer continued.

"I'm sure you will," the judge said standing up. Richard turned around shaking Celes's hand as she sat there stunned staring back at Billy. She stood up quickly and looked back over as she watched the officers take Marcus away. He was glaring at her, a ice cold glare that should have made chills run up her spine, but it didn't. Instead she smiled at him, a genuine smartass smile that she knew Evie would be proud of. Evie, Joni, and Brayden were walking towards her quickly as she glanced back over seeing the back of Billy. His hands shoved up against the doors as they flew open. She pushed past her friends hearing their faint voices of excitement as she wiggled her way out the doors. Her pace quickened as she frantically looked around the building and headed towards the entrance.

The wind gushed over her face as she stepped out. His car was parked out front as she saw the door slam shut hearing the engine starting.

"Billy!" she shouted as she jogged down the stairs. For the past weeks she couldn't shake that sick feeling knowing what he had done. She went through stages of anger to crying and mainly back to anger. Angry at herself. Angry at Billy. And furious knowing what Luke had done to her daughter. Even though she knew she shouldn't feel sad or guilty about Luke's death. It still bothered her, a sick bothering in her stomach always stirred every time she thought of the fact that Billy had killed him. Still she jogged down every step of the building trying to get his attention. She had no idea why she was running to him, no clue of why she even wanted to see him again. Those were the feelings that she had grown accustomed to when it came to him. She was too late though, as she tried to catch her breath watching with wide eyes at Billy's car speeding off down the street.


	20. Now or Never

1**Sorry it took so long!! I really would love to hear what you think so don't forget to leave a review :) :) **

**Chapter 20: Now or Never**

That night Billy sat down on his couch downing the rest of the whiskey left in the bottle. The liquid burnt down his throat into his stomach, but he didn't even notice it. His curiosity had gotten the best of him earlier that day. He wanted to see Marcus again, know exactly what his sentencing was going to be. Being able to keep one step ahead of him this time. If he had walked out of that courtroom a free man, he would have been dead by tomorrow. It didn't matter if Celes wasn't in his life now. Marcus had crossed the line that Billy held, and there was no way to make amends for it. The grudge would always be there until the day Billy saw him dead. He still couldn't shake the feeling of Celes not being his. Not knowing what she was doing or what was going on in her life. He treated her like a possession, but he learned that she wouldn't accept that. There was only so much she could take, and once again he had pushed her too far. His mood shifted as he took a deep drag from his cigarette. If this is what Celes wanted then let it be. He didn't give a shit anymore. It was easier being the man he had always been. The man that didn't have to second guess every action he made. That man had respect even if it was mainly through fear.

Billy wiped his forehead and exhaled a line of smoke with a deep breath through his nose. One important matter was taking over Stokely Hall. Since Marcus was out of the picture, Bones had given him one order. Take the rest of his crew out. The only ones that were left were just errand boys. They had already taken out the guys that could actually put up a fight. Scaring them would be easy, if they weren't scared already. If they didn't leave quietly, then they would leave six feet under. Billy tilted his head back on the couch his eyes growing heavy. He almost drifted off to sleep until he felt a burning sensation come across his stomach.

"Fuck," he mumbled snapped his down seeing the cigarette that he had forgotten he was holding burning through his shirt. He snatched it up stabbing it into the ash tray. He pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the side. He adjusted himself, placing his elbows on his knees and started to rub his temples making the tips of his fingers turn white. _Pound! Pound! Pound!_ Billy's head snapped up as he stared at his front door. Irritation spread across his face already as he stood straight up. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone, especially now that it was already a little past one in the morning. His feet stumbled across the carpet as he leaned on the wall to catch his balance. He drank much more than he thought he had as he headed towards the front door. _Pound! Pound! Pound!_

"Hold the fuck on!" he yelled, but the pounding didn't stop. He didn't even bother looking through the peephole as he ripped the door open. His eyes squinted from the bright hallway light, but popped wide open when he saw Celes standing in front of him. She was still dressed in the same clothes she had worn to court. A dark pair of jeans, white shirt and a gray button up jacket. The makeup lining her bright blue eyes was smudge, and she looked exhausted. A light pink color flushed her cheeks showing she was angry. Mixed emotions of shock and anger twisted across his face as he stared at her.

"You don't get to say who lives, and you don't get to say who dies," she blurted out her chest rising up and down. She had been debating to show up his house ever since she ran down the steps at the courthouse. The old phrase now or never kept playing through her head. "And," she stuttered feeling the courage slipping away from her. She could tell he was clearly drunk, his eyes in slits, the smell of alcohol was almost overwhelming. There was no telling how he would react towards her. "and..." she felt her courage slowly start to slip away. She bit back her lip staring at him as he pushed his arm up against the doorframe. His eyebrows were raised, his lips in a straight line waiting for what she had to say.

"You came all this way to bitch me out over something I already fucking know?" he asked feeling more frustrated than ever. If she wanted to be here, fine. But he wasn't in the mood to have her scream at him and then to watch her leave him once again.

"Why wouldn't you come to me?" she asked. "Don't you think I should have known?" Billy shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "Dammit Billy!" she yelled. "It wasn't up to you! Don't you understand that? This was _my _problem," she yelled her hands tapping against her chest. "Not _yours_!" Billy glanced over seeing one of his neighbors stepping out in the hallway to see what the commotion was about. Billy gave him a stern glare that sent the man quickly stepping back into his apartment. Billy reached out grabbing Celes by her arm and pulled her into the apartment. He knew his neighbor wouldn't have the balls to say anything, but he wouldn't think twice of calling the police if the shouting continued. Having the cops at his place was something he always avoided. Celes didn't say anything as Billy slammed the door shut behind and stood only inches away from her. She wiped away a small tear that was forming in the corner of her eye. She looked back at him trying to be more calm about the situation. She had once been a clam person being able to talk through any situation. Now since she had been with him, the only way she knew how to get her point across was to scream.

"When I asked you, when I clearly asked you the day the detective came into the Diner, you lied to me." He didn't say anything, his hand turned up in the air telling her he was well aware of his actions. "Did you kill him?"

"What if I fucking did?" Billy asked titling his head down where his face was right in front of hers. She stared back at him, no expression on her face as she waited for his answer. I didn't tell you about Savannah because I knew you wouldn't believe me," he said his voice more calm. "And I knew it would kill you." She looked down at the floor knowing he wasn't making up an excuse. She wouldn't have believed him and it did kill her. Now she knew what it felt like to not be able to protect the one person you always swore you would. "You wanna know who killed him?" Her eyes stared into his as she gulped. Did she want to know if Billy killed him? Didn't Luke deserve to be punished for what he did to her daughter? Becoming a mother meant that you were suppose to protect your child. She knew she would have gone to Hell and back if it meant Savannah would never have to suffer. Luke had come back to town in full intentions of getting her back. He would have stopped at nothing, and who knows what would have happened if Billy hadn't stepped in. She bit back her lip and slowly shook her head.  
"No," she said quietly. "I don't."

"We done here?" Billy asked feeling his head start to spin. She had came and said her peace, and he knew she was planning on leaving again. So he really didn't want to have to stand around and argue with her. She reached up grazing the side of his face as he stared hard at her.

"Are we done?" her voice cracked as she stared at him. A glint of hope was spread in her eyes as she stared at him. His teeth grinded together trying to gather his patience. He could never understand her. One minute she wanted to know the complete truth, the next she didn't. One minute she wanted to be with him, then she would tell him to stay the hell away.

"Why do you even fucking want to?" he asked bluntly. The question wasn't meant to hurt her, but it was the obvious question he wanted to know. These games they kept playing between one another had to stop. He wanted her more than he had every wanted anything before. Her and Savannah both, but he couldn't change who he was, no matter how hard he tried. The lifestyle that his father had put him in long ago, could never be undone. He could have said all of this to her, but he didn't.

"Because I'd rather be miserable with you then without you," she said simply. She knew she wasn't breathing as she waited for him to say something or do anything. It wouldn't surprise her if he would just open the door and shove her out. He leaned over giving her a stern look through his slit eyes making goose bumps pop up all over her arms. She closed her eyes bracing herself for what he was going to do. She felt his hands place down on her shoulders and slowly graze up her neck. His lips pressed against hers as she slipped her hands around his neck. Neither one of them said anything as they made their way towards his bedroom while clothes were being tossed into every direction. His actions had always spoken louder than words. They both needed each other, wanted each other, and it didn't matter what had happened. They would be together, no matter what the obstacle was.

—

"What do you mean, they're gone?" Billy asked cooly as he placed the bottle of Jack on the table. Heco shrugged at him as Billy stared back at him sternly.

"That's what we heard," Heco stated. "Marcus's boys split after he got locked up."

"Must of heard we were takin' over shit," Bodie suggested as he grabbed the bottle of Jack. Billy glanced over at him, a lit cigarette dangling from his fingers as Bodie poured them all a round. "It's ours for the takin' dog."

"No," Billy said grabbing his drink and downing it in one swig. He wiped his chin and inhaled a deep drag from his cigarette. "I don't believe for a fuckin' second that they ain't waitin' for us to make the next move." He pointed his finger between Heco and Spink. "I want you two to get your asses down there and find out where they went. I don't want any fucking surprises, ya go it?" They both nodded their heads as Billy narrowed his eyes at them. "What the fuck you waitin' for?"

"Right now?" Spink asked as Heco nudged him. Billy's face drop, about ready to pounce on him when they both quickly stood up. His eyes were still narrowed as he twisted his neck watching them walk out the door. The door flew back open with Joe and Brayden walking in. They were both laughing, carrying on about something as they approached the table. They both pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. Bodie glanced over at Billy, then at Brayden, and over to the bottle.

"You drink Jack?" Bodie asked as Brayden nodded his head. Bodie poured Joe and him both a glass and scooted it over the table towards them. Billy leaned back in his chair, not saying much, as the rest of the guy's carried on. They knew when Brayden was around to keep their mouths shut of what was going on. None of them had really welcomed outsiders before. Some had even questioned Billy's actions when it came to Celes, but none of them dared spoke up about it. The night wore on, as Billy's eyes started to grow heavy.

"Play me," Bodie said to Joe as he nudged his head towards the pool table. Joe nodded his head as they both stood up and walked over to the table. Brayden ran his finger over the rim of his glass and glanced over at Billy. He knew that things had gotten better between him and Celes. She didn't ever discuss what had happened, at least not to him. Billy was back at the house again and had been for the past two weeks. At first Brayden had been waiting for another explosive fight to happen, but it didn't. Which he was happy about, because he didn't know if he could handle watching Celes have another break down. Now that Billy seemed to be in what he considered a half way decent mood, there was something he wanted to discuss with him. Brayden gulped down the remains of his drink as he inhaled a deep breath. Billy glanced over at him, putting his cigarette out.

"I wanted to talk to you," Brayden said adjusting himself in his seat. Billy raised his eyebrows telling him to continue. Brayden knew he could lead up to what he wanted to ask him, but he knew cutting the bullshit and just getting to the point was the way Billy worked. "I want to work for you," he said bluntly. Billy's eyes narrowed as he lit up another cigarette. He inhaled a deep drag, the smoke escaping from the tiny crack in his mouth as he stared hard at Brayden.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Billy asked glancing back at Joe. He knew Joe had something to do with this. No way Brayden would come up with this idea on his own. Which meant that Joe had probably been letting him tag along, when he knew he wasn't suppose too.

"Run errands or something. I just need some quick cash." Brayden said pushing his back against his chair.

"No fuckin' way," Billy breathed out shaking his head. Brayden didn't say anything back to him, because he really didn't know what to say. He could push it the matter, but he'd rather keep his face intact for the night. He had seen enough and heard enough stories from Joe knowing what would happen if you pushed something that Billy didn't want. A few moments of silence fell between them before Billy cleared his throat. "Celes know about this shit?"

"Hell no," Brayden said quickly. She'd kill him, and ifs he didn't kill him, Evie would slap him. Billy tapped his fingers against the table. It wasn't any of his buisness what kind of bind Brayden had gotten himself into. He knew that Celes would completely flip if she knew he was involved in anything that Billy did. Since for once things were actually going smoothly, he wanted to keep it that way. But at the same time, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra hand around. Especially if they planned on taking over Stokely Hall and all the buisness that Marcus had. Someone that would be half ass reliable would be a benefit. Billy pushed his elbows on the table blowing out another long line of smoke.

"You can run a few errands with Joe," Billy stated firmly. "But if you fuck something up, or get your ass in trouble, you keep me out of it. Don't you breathe a fuckin' word of this to Celes. Understand?" Brayden nodded his head eagerly. Billy downed the remains of his drink and pushed himself up from the table. He nodded his head at Joe and Bodie signaling that he was going to call it a night. Brayden stood up and walked over to the pool tables and leaned against the wall watching the game that Bodie and Joe were finishing up. Billy opened the door to the bar when someone crashed into him. He stumbled back, immediately pissed and looked up to see Joni standing in front of him. She looked nervous and mumbled an apology to him as she stalked over to the pool tables. He could see Joe giving her that goofy grin he had always given as a child when he saw her. Suddenly his smile faded as he saw Joni throwing her arms around, showing she was pissed off about something. Billy rubbed his eyes, whatever their problem was, it wasn't his. All he wanted to do was go back to Celes's house and go to sleep. Well maybe not go to sleep right when he got there. A smile crept on his face as he got into his car and made the trip over to her house.

The house was still and dark as he walked through the hallway tripping over a toy Savannah had left out. His hands grazed the wall keeping his balance as he quietly opened Celes's door and stepped in. The lamp on the night stand was still on as Billy glanced over at the bed. Celes was curled up, the sheets pulled up on her as a small smile came across his face. A book was dangling from her hands as he quietly walked over to the bed. He removed his shirt and jeans and kicked off his shoes. He climbed into the bed and reached over taking the book out of her hand and setting it on the night stand turning the light off. He laid his head down on the pillow, automatically wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her up against him. He buried his face against her hair as she stirred next to him. It only took Celes a second before her eyes started to flutter. She knew that he was there, but it wasn't his arms wrapped around her that made her aware of this. It was his smell. The same combination of smoke and something sweet. She still couldn't place exactly what that sweet smell was even now. A smile curled at her lips as she pushed her hand up grazing over his.

"Finally decide to come home?" she said in an annoyed tone. She knew that he couldn't see the smile on her face as he let out a groan. He knew by the tone that she was irritated with him.

"I was busy," he said flatly.

"Yea busy getting drunk with Bodie I'm sure," she said biting back her lip to keep from laughing. She could feel his breathing growing hot against her knowing that he was starting to get mad. "I wish I could stay at the bar all night long and not have to worry about anything."

"Dammit Celes I just fuckin'-" before he could finish his sentence she flipped over and even though it was dark in the room, Billy could still see the wide smile on her face. His eyes narrowed at her as she let out a giggle. "That's real fuckin' cute." She slid her hands on his chest and pressed her lips against hers. "Think you're funny?" he mumbled in between their kisses.

"Yep," she said brightly pushing back from him feeling his hands cup around her face. He let out a grunt sliding his hands down the side of her arms and to her shirt. She reached down helping him pull the tank top off as he quickly flipped her over the bed. She let out a giggle feeling his lips press against her skin. His hand reached down, curling his finger around the sides of her panties when his phone started to ring. Celes raised her eyebrows as he let out a groan. "Don't answer that," she said more in a pleading tone than anything. If anyone was calling this late it meant one thing. There was something the matter that Billy would have to leave and go take care of. He pulled himself off of her, hearing her let out a sigh. He walked across the room and ripped the phone out of jeans. It was Heco calling him as he gritted his teeth and opened it.

"This better be fuckin' important," he spat glancing back over at Celes who was now sitting up in bed with the sheet wrapped up around her turning the lamp back on. Heco's voice came in glitches through the phone only making Billy grow more impatient. "What?"

"I said," Heco yelled. "We found Marcus's boys, they ain't left. They say they ain't leavin' either." Billy's jaw clenched making Celes grow a worried look on her face. He turned his head out of her view listening to Heco ramble on.

"I'll be there in a minute," Billy said shutting the phone and grabbing his jeans. "I gotta go for a while."

"Obviously," she mumbled as he glanced back at her. He pulled his jeans on and slipped the shirt over his head. He heard her say something else, but didn't catch it.

"What?" he asked pulling the shirt completely on. She shook her head as he walked over to her side of the bed. He leaned down giving her a kiss and pulled himself back. She smiled weakly at him, trying to hide the disappointment on her face. She could throw a fit about him leaving, but there was no use. "Don't wait up," he said before walking out of the room. She rolled her eyes at him hearing the front door shut. She grabbed the book from her night stand and flipped to the page she was at before she had fallen asleep. Waiting up wasn't an option. She always waited up until he was there. She might fall asleep, like she had done early, but it was never a full sleep. She could never fully fall asleep until she felt him right next to her.

—

Billy pulled into the parking lot of an abounded building that Heco said Marcus's boys were at. He saw Spink leaning against the wall waving his hand once he saw Billy step into view. Billy already had his gun out, not in the mood to even dick around about this. He knew exactly where he wanted to be, and this wasn't it. His footsteps pounded against the staircase as Spink led him to an open area where Bodie, Heco, Baggy, and Dog were all standing with three men. The three of them were all glaring at the men holding them there. If they weren't feeling any fear, than they were stupid. Because Billy was tired of messing around.

"They say they're stayin," Bodie said to Billy as he stood in front of all of them. His hands were planted down at his sides as he gave them all a cold hard stare. "Told them it wasn't an option."

"It's not a fuckin' option," Billy said harshly taking a few steps towards the men. He recognized one of them from a while back. He didn't know their names, didn't know anything about them, and he didn't care. He reached behind his back and pulled out his gun holding up for all three of them to see.

"What?" one of the guys standing in the middle said with a smirk. "Your boys got guns too. Suppose to scare us? Make us fuckin run?" Billy looked at the gun then glanced at the guy that had spoken up. "Marcus told us about you, told us about your girl too. Nice piece of ass she is." Billy let out a grunt as Bodie looked at him nervously. Whoever this guy was, mentioning Celes wasn't the best idea. Hell, it was the worst idea. "Rick said she wasn't too bad either." Billy's jaw clenched as his teeth grinded together. "Marcus was always about sharing." The guy let out a chuckle as Billy gripped his hand around the gun. "Maybe I'll test her out later." One of the guys on his left tried to nudge him, quiet him, but he wouldn't listen. "What'd say Darley, lemme test her out?" The guy smirked again, but quickly faded as Billy pulled the trigger on the gun. The bullet shot out, a loud noise echoing throughout the building, landing itself right between the guy's eyes. His body collapsed, a flow of blooding quickly spreading onto the floor.

"Any of you mother fuckers wanna add something?" Billy asked dropping his hand down. They both shook their heads quickly as Billy started pacing back and forth. He wiped his nose, the gun still in his hand as he glared at them. "This is how this is going to fuckin' work now. We're takin' over Stokley fuckin' Hall. You two lil pricks are gonna tell Bodie the names of everyone else that was workin' for Marcus. Then you're gonna get your asses out of my city. If you don't, you're gonna end up like your friend there." The two men stood still, their eyes wide glancing at Billy then to Bodie who stepped up. "We understand each other here or do I need to fuckin' repeat myself?" Heco walked over to Bodie, both of them grabbing the guys and shoving their guns to their heads. "Now tell me their fuckin' names." Both of them men opened their mouths not hesitating for a second to give up their boys' names. Billy looked over at Spink and Dog who nodded their heads showing that they'd remember every name. "All right then," Billy said. "Get the fuck out of here." Bodie and Heco both glanced at one another, a curious look in their eyes. Was Billy really going to let these two pricks walk out alive? When he had shot the one guy that kept running his mouth, it showed them that any doubts they had about Billy growing soft were untrue. But now, they were almost second guessing themselves.

It only took Marcus's two boys a split second before they both started to take off, running past Billy, grateful that they were still alive. Billy counted to five before he turned around, his arm extending out in front of him. His finger pressed down on the trigger, his arm swung to the right as he pressed down on it again. Both of men had fallen down, only a few seconds apart as the bullets struck them in the back of the head. Billy strided towards them as Bodie and Heco walked behind him. Heco walked over to the bodies, giving them both a swift kick to the side.

"Dead," he stated as if it wasn't obvious. "Thought for a second you were really going to let them go."

"What'd I say?" Billy asked annoyed as he tucked the gun back into his waistband. "I said no more fuckin' surprises. Now what were those names again?"

--

Celes jolted from her bed, the book dropping onto the floor as she heard a loud pounding coming from the front door. She glanced over at her clock realizing it was two-thirty in the morning. She grabbed her robe from the closet and tightly wrapped it around her. Billy still wasn't home, but he had a key. She glanced over as she walked through the living room to see Brayden sprawled out on the couch. His shoes were still on as he snored loudly. She quickly pushed herself up on her tip toes pressing her face against the door to look through the peephole. She was shock to see was Joni standing there. Her blonde hair was a ragged mess, makeup streaming down her face as she clung her arms around herself. Celes quickly undid the locks on the door and opened it.

"Joni," she said lightly as Joni glanced at her. There was a slight bruise on the side of her face as Joni burst into tears. Celes threw the door completely open as Joni quickly stepped in. Celes quietly shut the door behind her and turned around. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry," Joni blubbered out wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's Joe...he's..." Celes quickly placed her arms on Joni's shoulders as she tried to gather her breath. "We got into this huge fight, and he...he...hit me." Celes eyes narrowed as she guided Joni into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

"What?" Celes asked sitting down from her. She knew that Joe was capable of it, after all he was a Darley. It still surprised her though. "Tell me what happened." Joni took a deep breath then poured out everything that had been going on lately. How Joe and her hadn't really been the same since the abortion. That she felt like she was being ignored, and anytime she tried to talk to him about, it would just end in a fight. So logically she thought he might be seeing someone else.

"Joe wouldn't cheat on you," Celes reassured her.

"I know," she said sniffing. "But...I dunno...I went to Four Roses earlier and just started chewing his ass because I had enough. Finally Joe left with me, and I thought we could work things out, but...but...we just ended up getting in this huge fight. I told him that I blamed him for everything. Blamed him for the baby, for making me feel like there was no other way out of the situation..and...and...other things...and..." Celes reached over rubbing her hand up and down Joni's back as she continued to sob. "I can't do this anymore Celes...I left my car with my mom, and I've already got a bag packed-"

"Wait," Celes said pushing herself back in her seat. "_Packed_?"

"That's why I'm here," she said sucking in another breath. "I need you to take me to the bus station. I'm going to Chicago."

"Chicago?" Celes asked raising her eyebrows. "Joni you just can't leave."

"I have to," Joni almost yelled. "My sister lives there, and I already called her. I can't stay here any longer. It's just going to end badly, I know it. I'm not like you, I'm not strong enough to be able to keep a relationship with someone like him." Celes didn't know whether it was a compliment or an insult. "He's not going to let me go this time Celes. You didn't see him, I've never seen him that...that..."

"Scary? Crazy? Out of his mind?" she suggested knowing exactly what she was talking about. Even though Joe had more of a heart than Billy, he was still a Darley. "Maybe I should get Evie," she said standing up, but Joni grabbed her hand.

"No," she said sternly. "Evie will just wig out and go running around the city with a baseball bat." Any other time they both would have laughed at the comment she had just made, but they didn't.

"Okay," Celes said nodding her head. "Let me go get dressed." She quickly walked out of the room heading to her bedroom when she stopped suddenly. Savannah stood in the hallway, a confused look on her face holding her rag doll.

"Mommy?" she asked as Celes quickly picked her up. "Why is Joni crying?"

"Shhh," she said walking into her daughter's room. "You need to go back to sleep, you've got school in the morning." She placed Savannah in her bed and pulled the covers over her. Savannah let out a big yawn cuddling the doll next to her. "Don't worry honey, Joni is fine, she's just had a bad night." Celes smoothed out her hair as Savannah nodded her head. She waited a few minutes watching Savannah's eyes slowly close as she drifted back to sleep. Celes quietly exited the room and ran into her bedroom throwing on clothes. She knew that Billy would probably be back anytime soon. If Joni wasn't letting Joe know she was leaving, she sure as hell wouldn't want Billy to know either. Celes walked back into the living room and slapped Brayden on his chest. His body jolted up with his arms flying in the air.

"What?" he asked quickly looking around as Celes could smell the whiskey on his breath. "What the hell is going on?" He ran his hand through his hair and stared at Celes. "You okay? Savannah okay?"

"Yea," she whispered. "I just gotta run somewhere real fast, will you keep an eye on Savannah?" Brayden glanced past her seeing Joni standing by the door. He narrowed his eyes, giving a questionable look at both of them. "Brayden? Will you watch her?"

"Yea," he said lightly flopping his head back down on the couch. He didn't know what was going on, but he was too drunk and too tired to figure it out now. Celes wasn't even sure if telling Brayden to keep an eye on Savannah would be a good idea. She really wanted to just wake Evie up, but knew Joni would get upset. Joni was right, Evie would run around the city all night hunting Joe down if she knew about this. Although Celes was half way tempted to take a baseball bat to Joe herself at the moment.

Both of the girls quickly walked out the door as Joni picked up the duffle bag that was next to the steps outside. Neither one of them said a word as they got into the truck. Celes started it up and glanced over at Joni.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked as Joni nodded her head quickly. "Okay then," she said placing the gear into reverse and backed out of the driveway.

—

Tommy and Jamie were both bored out of their minds waiting on anyone to come to the underpass. Buisness for the night had been slow as they both stood around bull shitting most of the night. They were in the middle of talking about something that happened a few nights ago at Four Roses when they saw headlights approaching. They both leaned over staring hard at the car that was approaching feeling relieved to see it was Billy. The car came to a stop as Baggy, Heco, and Bodie all piled out of the car. Billy stepped out flicking his cigarette to the side and leaned against the front of his car. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at Tommy.

"What time is it?" he asked. Tommy looked down at his watch telling him it was a three-thirty. He shook his head, so much for a ending a short night. After leaving the abounded building, they had went on a search for the rest of Marcus's boys. Billy knew if three of them were still hanging around, there had to be a few more lurking as well. They came up empty handed, and Billy was too tired to have to deal with anymore bullshit for the night. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes shoving another one in his mouth. The only good thing about tonight was that taking over Stokely Hall would be easier now. And the bonus was that it would make Bones's miserable self happy. If that was even possible. Billy looked up watching the few cars pass over above as Heco rambled on of what had happened earlier. He was almost done with his cigarette when he squinted his eyes. There wasn't much light around the area, but he could have sworn he had just seen Celes's truck drive on the overpass. Why the hell would she be driving on this side of town at three-thirty in the morning? Billy shook his head at the thought. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him. There was no way it could have been her.

—

Celes's heart was pounding as she hit the gas racing to get back to the house. Joni and her had barely spoken a word the entire trip, but Joni made it clear that the only person that could know about this was Evie. She made Celes swear that she would never tell Billy about this. Celes reassured her that she wouldn't say a word about her leaving. Plus she knew that Billy would flip out if he knew she was the one that took Joni to the bus station. As Celes turned onto her street she felt her palms get clammy. If Billy was home, how was she suppose to explain why she was gone? She let out a sigh of relief as she pulled into the driveway with his car no where in sight. She opened up the truck door and slammed it shut walking slowly towards the front door. She felt like she could fall asleep right then and there. That's when she heard the low rumble of a car coming onto the street. She dashed up the steps to the house shoving her key into the lock.

"Shit, shit, shit," she mumbled under her breath as she ripped the door open and quickly closed it. Brayden was still sound asleep on the couch as she raced towards her bedroom. She stopped quickly knowing she should check on Savannah. Her feet stumbled underneath her, her body flew forward as she crashed her head into the wall. "Son of a!" she yelled glancing down at the toy that Savannah had left on the floor.

She grumbled under her breath as she opened Savannah's bedroom door and walked quickly over to her bed. Her daughter was sleeping soundly as she backed up out of the room making sure not to wake her. She shut the bedroom door hearing Billy slam his car door outside. She broke out into a jog, jumping over the toy that was still in the middle of the floor and ripped open her bedroom door. She shut it behind her as she pulled her jeans and shirt off and threw them in the hamper. She grabbed the tank top and boy shorts off the floor and quickly put them on. Right after she pulled her shirt over her head she heard the front door shut. She dove onto her bed, throwing the covers over her head as she shut her eyes tight. Her heart was racing as she listened to his footsteps coming down the hall. She heard the door quietly open and shut as she didn't budge in the bed. The bed sunk down a bit as Billy removed his shoes. He rubbed his forehead and glanced behind him. Celes was curled up sound asleep, which reassured him that it really wasn't her on the overpass earlier. He removed his shirt and jeans and pulled back the covers slipping in next to her. He was halfway hoping that they could finish up what they had started earlier. Her eyes were still shut tight as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. She kept her eyes shut as her heart rate started to slowly calm down. An overwhelming feeling of relief swept over her knowing that Joni's secret was going to be safe.

—

Billy could hear the shower running the next morning as he stepped out into the hallway. Savannah was already running around the house wound up as usual. She ran past him yelling a quick good morning before running into her room. He lightly smiled at her as Evie stepped out of her room giving him her usual glare. Billy ignored her, like he did every morning and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He could hear Evie pounding on the bathroom door shouting for Celes to hurry up. Brayden stumbled into the kitchen, his head pounding as he opened up the refrigerator grabbing the carton of orange juice. He didn't even bother grabbing a glass as he opened the carton and started chugging it. The bitter sweet taste of it made his stomach turn, but he didn't care. Evie made a disgusted face as she entered the kitchen glancing between Billy and Brayden.

"Pretty sad when Billy has more manners than you," she grumbled pushing him out of the way so she could grab a thing of yogurt out.

"Bite me," Brayden mumbled tossing the carton in the trash can. Billy ignored them both as they started to argue. He had grown accustomed to things like this. "Keep your voice down, I have a major hangover," Brayden grumbled as Evie sat down at the kitchen table.

"Yea and next time you come home drunk, make sure not to bring some girl that won't shut up with you," she grumbled as Brayden eyed her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Whoever you brought home with you last night, they woke me up."

"I came home alone," Brayden stated as Billy sat the glass back down on the counter. "The last thing I remember is passing out on the couch."

"Hhhmm," Evie said shrugging. Maybe it was Celes talking that had woken her up last night. Billy walked out of the kitchen and headed back to the bedroom. He opened the door seeing Celes standing in front of her closet wrapped up in a towel. Her hair was wet as she ran a brush through it and smiled at him. He walked over giving her a kiss on the forehead moving his hands up the side of her body.

"Oh no," she said playfully pushing him away. "I'm already running late as it is." He grunted giving her a long kiss as she pushed him away again. "I'm being serious, I still have to get Savannah ready."

"Fine," he said walking away. She let out a giggle knowing that he was pouting. She started pushing clothes around trying to find something to wear when Billy's phone started to ring.

"Maybe you'd get some if you turned your phone off," she teased as he walked past her giving her a light tap on her butt. She rolled her eyes at him as he picked up his phone and placed it to his ear.

"What Joe?" he asked as Celes completely froze. "What do you mean it's gone?" Billy started to walk towards the door when he stopped suddenly in his tracks. Celes watched the expression on his face change from annoyed to complete anger. "What did you just fuckin' say?" he bellowed. "What do you mean she took the money?" He glanced up at Celes, his eyes narrowed as she quickly turned her head. "Well where is she?" There was a pause as Billy's breathing started to quicken. Celes slowly pulled a gray and blue striped shirt out of her closet. "She's your fuckin' girl Joe, where would she go?" Celes walked over to her dresser drawer her heart racing like it did the night before. "How much did she take Joe?" She hoped that she was just catching the wrong end of the conversation, there was no way Joni would steal from them. "FIND HER!" Billy screamed into the phone making Celes jump. She quickly turned to look at him, her eyes wide, as he chucked the phone across the room.

"Whatsthematter?" she asked so quickly she knew it made no sense. He stared sternly at her, his nostrils flared.

"Joni," he spat. "She fuckin' gone." Celes gulped looking like a deer in headlights. She could feel the goose bumps rise on her arms as Billy walked towards her. His face was twisted as he placed his hands firmly on her upper arms. "Celes," he said taking a deep breath. "Where the hell is she?"


	21. Something To Live For

1**Chapter 21: Something to Live For**

The grip on her shoulders tightened as she stared back at Billy. Did he know that she had something to do with Joni taking off? Was she giving it away just by the look on her face? Of course she was, she was scared out of her mind, and it didn't help any that her eye would not stop twitching.

"What are you talking about?" Celes finally choked the words out. Billy stared sternly at her, his piercing blue eyes locked with hers. _Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. _ If she could poke her own eye out right now, she would. "I haven't seen her since the other day," she said her voice more calm. His grip loosened on her as he took a step back. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes inhaling as much air as he could. Nothing could calm him down right now. His heart rate was rapid feeling Celes slowly reach up and touch the side of his face. "Billy," she said softly. "What did Joe say to you?" She didn't want to break her promise to Joni, but she needed to know what was going on. Billy pushed her hand away from his face, not even wanting to look at her. He had almost lost his cool on her when she hadn't done anything at all.

"Joni took some shit that didn't belong to her," he said with a low voice. His jaw tightened, nostrils flared hearing Joe's exact words echoing in his head. _Four grand Billy, she stole four fuckin' grand. _Four grand that didn't belong to Joe. Four grand that didn't even belong to Billy. It belonged to Bones, and if he didn't have a reason to kill Billy yet, he did now. Billy's anger flooded him as he turned around smashing his fist into the wall. The dry wall crumpled around his hand as Celes yelped and jumped back. Billy slowly pulled his hand out of the hole he had just created and stared down at his hand.

"Fuck!" he spat wiping his mouth. The skin on his knuckles were busted, the blood already coming to the surface. There was a tiny knock at the door as Celes turned around seeing Savannah poke her head in.

"Mommy?" she asked her eyebrows scrunched together. "What was that noise?"

"Nothing sweetie," Celes said rushing to the door. "Mommy just dropped something. Let me get dressed then I'll take you to school. Have Uncle Brayden get you something to eat."

"He won't get off the couch," Savannah whined. "And he ate _all_ the Fruity Pebbles!"

"Well go nag him until he does get you something," she said. Savannah thought about it for a moment. A mischievous look quickly spread on her face as she pulled her head back and darted into the living room. Celes slammed the door shut and spun around staring at Billy. He was sitting down on the corner of her bed now, his elbows leaning on his knees, his face shoved into his hands. She could see the redness creeping along his neck as she slowly walked towards him.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out feeling her getting closer to him. He looked up, eyeing her out of the corner of his eye as she sat down next to him on the bed. He sniffed and let out a deep raspy breath as she lightly placed her hand down on his leg. She was cursing Joni out in her head now. For making her lie to Billy and now for the new hole in her bedroom wall.

"Will you tell me what's going on?" she asked lightly.

"Joni stole four grand," Billy said without hesitation. "She stole four fucking grand right after she left Joe. Now, Joe can't find her anywhere." Celes swallowed hard, her eyes bulging out as she stared at him.

"Four..four..grand?" she stuttered taking in a deep breath.

"I'm going to kill that fuckin' bitch," Billy said not even realizing the words were spoken out loud. Celes leaned over grabbing the side of his face and making him look at her.

"Listen to me," she said sternly. "I have some money saved back and I-" Billy pushed her hands away and stood up. "Billy!" She jumped off the bed and stared at him. "We will find Joni, and we will get the money back. Just let me-"

"Stop!" he said grabbing her as her eyes widened. "This is not your problem. I'll get this shit figured out, okay?" She nodded her head slowly as he leaned forward pressing his lips against hers. The kiss surprised her, usually when he was this anger, it was a quick peck or nothing at all. This kiss was long and passionate and when he pulled back a small moan escaped from her throat. "I love you," his voice was low as he leaned in giving her a long fulfilling kiss.

"I love you too," she said almost in shock.. His hands dropped from his face as he mumbled that he would be back later. He didn't give her time to say anything as he walked out of her bedroom. There was no telling what Bones was going to do to him now. The four grand was something that he was waiting for. It was suppose to be delivered today at exactly seven o'clock. He walked into the living room seeing Savannah tugging as hard as she could on Brayden's shirt.

"Brayden mommy said so!" Savannah yelled. She let out a huff dropping her arms and looked over at Billy. "Billy will you make Brayden get me something to eat? Please?" Billy waved his hand motioning her to follow him into the kitchen. He reached up grabbing the box of chocolate doughnuts off the top of the refridgerator and handed them to her. Her eyes lit up as she licked her lips staring down at them.

"Woah," she said looking up and giving Billy a wide smile. "Thanks Billy!" She wrapped her arms around his leg embracing them in a hug as he smoothed her hand over her mop of curls.

"No problem kid," he said. She released her hands and darted into the living room shaking the box of doughnuts in Brayden's face. He let out a grumble shoving the box away as she started singing "Na-na-a-boo-boo! Look-what-I-got!" She shook the box in his face singing the same line over and over again while shaking her hips. A small smile spread on Billy's face as he took one last look at Savannah. He opened the door and stepped out taking quick steps to his car. He had until seven o'clock to find out where Joni was or come up with four grand. He didn't care if he had to send his boys on a crime spree the city had never seen before. He was getting that money.

Celes slowly sat on her bed inhaling deep breaths. She was beyond furious at Joni for leaving her in this situation. The only thing that was stopping her from telling Billy where Joni was at was the fact that she knew he would kill her. She reached over grabbing her phone and dialed Joni's cell phone number. The phone rang and rang until her cheerful voice came through telling to leave a message.

"Joni," she hissed her hands clenching the phone. "You need to call me back as soon as you get this. I know what you did, and Billy knows now too. You need to get your ass back here with that money before something really _bad_ happens." She slammed her thumb down on the off button and tossed the phone to the side.

"Uh, what money? And what did Joni do?" Evie asked standing in her doorway, her hands on her hips as she stared at Celes. She had just opened the door to ask her if she could use her eyeliner when she had overheard the voice mail Celes was leaving. "What is going on?"

"Shut the door," Celes said as Evie shut it behind her and sat down next to her on the bed. Celes took a deep breath before spilling out what had happened that night. Evie sat next to her, her breathing quickening as Celes pointed out the hole in the wall. "And now I don't know what to do."

"Well you can't tell him," Evie said quickly.

"I know," Celes said.

"Because he'll kill her if he finds her."

"I know."

"Bodie has told me some crazy shit, and I mean he'll literally kill her!"

"I know." .

"Shit," Evie murmured with wide eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"I _don't_ know," Celes said shaking her head. "I know he'll go after her, and if he finds out that I was the one that took her to the bus-"

"What a _bitch_!" Evie yelled startling Celes. "Typical Joni to just pack up and leave and make everyone clean up her mess. Jesus! What was she thinking?" Celes shook her head wishing she knew what exactly went through Joni's mind when she took that money. Evie was right, how could she have left this mess for them? She knew the consequences of what would happen if she took that money. "Still doesn't mean I'm not going to beat the hell out of that little hobbit next time I see him."

"No," Celes said quickly as Evie stared at her puzzled. "Don't get me wrong, I wanna knock him out just as bad. But if we do that, then they'll know that we know something." Evie nodded her head taking another deep breath. "And now I can't get rid of this horrible feeling in my stomach about lying to him. Every damn time things finally get back to normal between us. something has to come along and ruin it." Evie reached over rubbing her hand up and down Celes's back.

"It's not like he hasn't hidden things from you before," Evie said. "I mean, he's done some fucked up shit."

"Yeah but we're past that Evie, and now, here I am being a complete hypocrite."

"What is that little voice of reason telling you to do?"

"Not tell him."

"Then _listen_ to it," Evie said as Celes nodded her head. She was right, there was no way in hell she could tell him.

—

The drumming of Billy's fingers against the wooden table at the Office was the only sound that could be heard. The clock was ticking, he had thirty more minutes before he had to go face Bones. Joe sat across the table not daring to even look in Billy's direction. When Billy first showed up at his apartment, he was greeted with a fist wailing into his jaw. He didn't blame his brother, he had fucked up. He had let Joni know about the money, and take it. Bodie sat next to Joe counting out the money that they had gathered from the night before.

"There's only eight hundred here dog," Bodie said his voice quiet as Billy's glazed over eyes slowly looked at him. "Maybe Heco and them made out." Billy didn't say a word as he placed the cigarette in his mouth inhaling the smoke. He breathed it out, his eyes lingering on Joe who still kept his head down. He looked like a beaten puppy, but Billy felt no guilt right now. Because the beating he gave Joe was nothing compared to what he was going to endure. The sounds of voices and footsteps ripped through the air as Billy looked up to see Heco, Spink, and Tommy walk in. They were all out of breath as Heco tossed the tan colored bag onto the table.

"Where's Baggy?" Bodie asked.

"Probably still running," Heco said with a laugh. "A rent a cop showed up at the liquor store we busted into."

"They get him?"

"Nah, Baggy is a fast mother fucker." Billy snatched the bag and dumped the contents out onto the table. He stared down at it, his jaw clenching.

"How much?" he asked through his teeth.

"There's got to be at least seven hundred there," Billy slammed his hands down onto the table letting out a growl as Joe looked up at him. "What?" Heco asked placing a cigarette in his mouth. "You want us to go hit up another store?"

"There's no more fucking time!" Billy screamed making everyone take a step back from him. He grabbed the sack tossing all the money into it and zipped it up. Joe murmured something under his breath as Billy snapped his head towards him.

"What did you fucking say?" Billy demanded.

"What are we going to do?" Joe repeated as Billy placed his hands down on the edge of the table. His anger took control as he gripped the edges of the table and flipped it over. Joe flew back in his chair, the table only missing his legs by inches.

"What are _we_ going to fuckin' do? I dunno Joe, but I know what _I_ gotta go fuckin' do," Billy screamed jabbing his finger in his face. "I gotta take care of the fuckin' mess _you_ left _me_ to clean up!" Joe didn't breathe a word as Billy shoved past Heco and Tommy storming out of the office.

"Now what?" Joe asked looking over at Bodie. Bodie stood up, his own anger slowly starting to take over.

"Now you pray your brother doesn't come back in a fucking body bag," he spat. His footsteps were hard against the floor as he broke out into a jog to catch up with Billy. Billy was already opening the car door when he looked up to see Bodie jogging down the steps. He didn't say anything, his jaw tight as he watched Bodie walk up to the passenger side door.

"We as good as brothers dog," Bodie said opening the door. "And you ain't going in there alone." Billy nodded his head as they both slipped into the car making their way to Bones's shop.

—

Billy's posture was perfect, his shoulders spread far apart, as he strided his way through the door of the Bone's shop. The look on his face was stern, intense, and most of all confident. If he was to say that he had no fear walking into the shop, he would be lying. Bones sat behind his desk, sweat dripping off his forehead as he wiped the barrel of his gun. He slowly rose his head up, his eyes squinted as he watched Billy and Bodie enter the room. He glanced over at the clock, it was five minutes until seven. Billy never showed up one time. Something was up, he could feel it.

"I see you brought your fuckin' girlfriend along," Bones quipped glaring at Bodie. "How fuckin' sweet." Bodie didn't say anything, he didn't even flinch. If Bones called him every name in the book and then some, he still wouldn't open his mouth or move. Bones eyes darted at Billy and the tan colored bag he was holding. "That my money?"

"Yea," Billy said walking over and dropping the bag on to the table. Bones stared hard at him before he slowly reached over and opened the bag. He didn't have to count it, just by the looks of it he could tell that there was no four grand in there. His knuckles curled up in fists as he slammed them down on the desk and quickly shot up out of his chair.

"What the fuck is this!" he yelled spit flying out of his mouth as Billy's heart started beating rapidly.

"That's all I got," Billy said his breathing quickening. Bones reached down grabbing the gun that he just finished cleaning off the table. Bodie took one step closer towards Billy, his eyes set on Bones. He wasn't for sure what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to let Billy get killed. Bone's fingers curled around the grip pointing the gun right at Billy's head. Bodie nervously glanced back and forth between the both of them waiting.

"Where's the fuckin' money?" Bones asked cocking the barrel of the gun. Billy remained silent. There was no way he was going to tell Bones that Joe had let the money slip away. "I'm going to ask you one more fuckin' time Nazi, where's my fuckin' money?"

"I need a few more days," Billy said hastily. Bones let out a sickening laugh not giving either Billy or Bodie time to react, as his finger slammed down on the trigger. The bullet shot through the air in seconds grazing the side of Billy's ear. Billy cursed under his breath jerking his head to the side as he quickly covered his ear with his hand.

"You've got two fuckin' days to bring me my money!" Bones bellowed still pointing the gun in Billy's direction. "And if you don't have my fuckin' money in two days, the next bullet will be three inches to the fuckin' left!" Billy's nostrils flared as he placed his eyes back on Bones. "Lord knows I've been patient with you fuckin' half wits." He slammed his large body into his chair making the chair dip down some. "Now get the fuck out of my sight." Billy quickly turned around, Bodie right behind him, as they both walked out of the shop. Billy's face was twisted as he removed his hand from his ear and looked down at it. It was covered in blood.

"You all right?" Bodie asked as Billy slowly nodded his head. Neither of them said anything as they stepped inside the car. Bodie rubbed his chin letting out a deep breath. Neither Bones or Billy had seen him reach for his own gun when Bones fired the shot. When he quickly realized that the bullet had merely grazed Billy, he quickly shoved his hands in his pockets. If Bones would have seen him grabbing his gun, he would have been dead. No questions asked. He glanced over at Billy who was placing a cigarette in his lips. "We'll get that fuckin' money dog, no question about it."

Billy didn't respond as he light the cigarette taking a deep drag. The car was silent again as they drove towards the Office. He should have been dead, but for some reason, Bones felt like showing some mercy.

—

Celes glanced out of the kitchen hearing Savannah let out a squeal as she dashed out of the living room. Brayden had been trying to take another cat nap when Savannah jumped on him and started tickling him. She cracked a smile then looked over at the clock. She hadn't heard from Billy all day and was starting to get worried. Joni also hadn't called her back yet even after she had left twenty messages by now. Evie kept reassuring her that everything was going to be all right, Billy would figure something out. She inhaled a deep breath and rubbed her temples. The front door suddenly flung open as she turned around in her seat. Her eyes instantly lit up to see Billy walking through the door. She was halfway out of her seat when she stopped, her eyes widening at the white bandage on his ear.

"What happened?" she asked quickly.

"Nothing," he replied with a sniff. He shrugged off his coat and placed it over the couch seeing her eyeing his shirt. Blood had dripped down on his shoulder, leaving a dark red stain. He hadn't even thought about going back to his own apartment to change. It wouldn't really matter though, most of his clothes had accumulated at her house now.

"That's blood," she said pointing at his shoulder. Her heart started to race as she bit back her lower lip. "Who did this?" she asked. Silence. "It was Bones, wasn't it?" His eyes darted away from her for a split second giving her the answer. She felt tears already building up. This was her fault now. She should have just told him the truth. "What happens now?" Her voice was low as she heard him let out a sigh. "Billy, he shot you!"

"I know," Billy snapped. "I've got-" He stopped seeing Brayden racing into the room yelling for Savannah to leave him alone. He stopped shortly, glancing between the two of them when Savannah smacked into his leg.

"I caught you Uncle Brayden!" she yelled with a giggle. She looked up seeing Billy standing next to her as she her face lit up. "Hi Billy!" she yelled.

"Hey kid," Billy said looking down at her. She let out another giggle before pinching Brayden's leg and darting out of the room.

"What's up?" Brayden asked glancing between Celes and Billy. Celes narrowed her eyes at him, and he took the hint that it wasn't any of his buisness. He started to walk out of the room when Billy reached out and planted his hand on Brayden's shoulder.

"You need to talk to Joe," he said ignoring the curious look Celes was now giving him. She didn't want Brayden to even be around Joe right now, but she knew she couldn't voice her opinion. "He's been trying to call you." Brayden nodded his head knowing that this meant Billy wanted him to do a job.

"Cool," Brayden mumbled glancing over at Celes. "I'm gonna split for a while." She nodded her head with her eyebrows raised watching Brayden walk out of the door. Savannah came rushing back into the room before she could ask Billy what that was about.

"Mommy I'm hungry," Savannah said. "When are we going to eat?" The front door flew open as Evie walked in. She looked pissed as she chucked her bag across the room.

"That's it!" she exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air. "I am dropping out of school! I cannot handle this shit anymore!"

"Evie," Celes said darting her eyes towards Billy. Evie glanced over seeing the bandage on his ear as her eyes widened. "Do you think you could take Savannah somewhere to get something to eat?"

"Yea," Evie said walking over and grabbing her purse. "Come on super hero." Savannah jumped up and down yelling goodbye behind her as she ran towards the door. "We'll be back...in a while."

"Thank you," Celes said as Evie shut the door behind her. She turned her attention back to Billy seeing him light up a cigarette. He seemed to be acting laid back about the situation, but she knew better. "_Well_?"

"I told you not to worry about this shit. I've got it under control," he said. His boys were already out working corners, and those that weren't were finding ways to get a hold of cash. Sending Brayden out with Joe was a last resort, but he was desperate now. She didn't need to know that. She didn't need to know anything about the situation.

"Fine," she said not wanting to push the issue. Her own guilt was killing her enough right now. She walked over reaching down for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "Let me put a new bandage on it, that thing is about to fall off." She tugged on his hand as he followed her into the bathroom. He sat down on the edge of the tub, as she took out the first aid kit. This scene was familiar to the both of him. She wondered how many times she would have to keep doctoring him up. For a slight graze, there was still a lot of blood. She lightly dabbed his ear with an alcohol swab cleaning around the wound. He didn't say a word, his hand lightly grazing her side as she placed a bandage over his ear.

"You tell Evie?" he asked.

"I told her that Joni took some money," she said placing the first aid kit back into the cabinet. "She hasn't heard anything from her." Which was the truth, she knew that Evie had also been trying to call Joni as well. Just like Celes, she only got her voice mail.

"I'm gotta change my shirt," Billy said walking out of the bathroom. Celes shut her eyes trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing by not telling him. She wasn't though, she _had_ to tell him. For all she knew his life could be on the line with Bones. Inhaling a deep breath she quickly walked into the bedroom seeing Billy pulling his shirt off. He tossed it to the side and looked up at her. She quickly walked across the room and stood in front of him. This was it.

"Billy, I have to tell you-" Her sentence was cut short as Billy wrapped around her neck pulling her closer to him.

"Don't talk," he said brushing his lips up against hers. He didn't know what she was going to say, but he didn't care. She didn't object giving into his kiss while he pulled them both down on the bed. Billy knew the only thing he should be doing was running the streets collecting any money he could find. Whether it be from gun point or a sale, but he didn't want to be out there right now. From the moment he left Bones's, the only place he wanted to be was with her. Celes let out a moan trying to catch her breath feeling him insider her. It had only taken a matter of seconds for both of them to shed their clothes off. Billy wrapped his arms under her back feeling her lips pressing against his neck. He had to have her close to him, had to feel her heart beating against his own. Celes opened her eyes feeling his staring into her's. She didn't know what had taken over him, but something was different about him. The sex was rough, but at the same time so passionate, and there way no way she could be quiet about it either.

After they had finished Celes laid her head down on his chest feeling it move up and down as he took long drags from his cigarette. Bones firing off shots towards him wasn't unusual in a sense. That was his way of showing how serious he was, but this time, the affect it had on Billy was different. A feeling that was more greater than he ever felt before. As he stared down at Celes, lightly stroking his hand against her arm, he realized for the first time in his life he had something to live for.

—

Brayden's heart was rapidly beating as he pulled the black ski mask over his face. Joe had vaguely briefed him on what was going on. They needed money and money fast to make sure that Billy and everyone one of them would stay alive. Bones taking a minor shot towards Billy was enough proof to each and everyone one of them that he was not fucking around anymore. Joe knew that his father was capable of shooting them all one by one if he felt his point wasn't getting across.

"You ready for this man?" Joe asked a lop sided smile on his face before he pulled his own black ski mask over his face. Brayden nodded his head, glad that he was hiding behind the mask not able to show his fear. When he was a kid, he would steal things, little things, like candy or casette tapes that he couldn't afford. Minor stupid shit that all kids did. This was different now. "C'mon, let's do this shit," Joe punched his shoulder breaking out into a jog with Brayden right behind him. The parking lot was abandoned at the Quick Stop, the only vehicle in the lot belonged to the clerk standing behind the register. A pretty girl with short blonde hair and brown eyes leaned her elbows on the counter staring up at the TV in the corner of the place. The sound of chimes went off as she pushed herself back and glanced over towards the door.

"Put your fuckin' hands up!" Joe screamed pointing the sawed off shotgun towards her. Her face instantly turned while, letting out a cry as Joe screamed the words at her again. Brayden stood frozen watching the girl quickly becoming hysterical. "Quit cryin' bitch!" Joe yelled now standing in front of her with the gun only inches away from her forehead. He glanced over at Brayden and narrowed his eyes. "Come on man! Get the fuckin' cash!" Brayden quickly nodded his head and raced around the counter next to the girl.

"Please don't kill me," she begged tears streaming down her eyes. She glanced over at Bradyen as he started hitting buttons on the register.

"What's the fuckin' deal?" Joe asked.

"I can't get the damn thing opened," Brayden said glancing over at the girl. The girl let out another sob making Joe feel more frustrated than he already was.

"Open it!" he screamed at her as she stood still. His hand did a quick motion on the barrel making her wince as he pressed the tip of the gun to her forehead. "Open the fuckin' register or I will blow off your fuckin' head!" The girl nodded her head in response as Brayden reached over gently grabbing her arm.

"Open it and you'll be fine," he whispered pulling her towards the register. Her hands were shaking as Joe continued to scream at her. The cash register door opened with a bing. Brayden ripped a plastic bag off a hook and started stuffing the money into it.

"Hurry it up man!" Joe yelled while Brayden lifted the drawer up grabbing the bigger bills that were stuff below it. Headlights flew across the store making Joe's neck snap. "Let's go! Let's go!" Brayden slammed the register shut giving once last glance to the girl who was sobbing before jumping over the counter and running right behind Joe. The door flew open in front of them, Joe knocking the older gentlemen that was oblivious to what had just gone on. He flew back against the pavement letting out a yelp while Brayden jumped over him. Brayden tossed the bag into the backseat and jumped into the car. Joe was already in, hitting the gas pedal making Brayden's door shut on it's own. Joe let out a loud whooping holler as they flew over the curb and onto the street. He ripped off his mask slapping Brayden on the shoulder.

"Did you see that bitch's face?" he yelled with laughter. Brayden slowly peeled his mask off, giving Joe a light smile. He had seen her face all right and the absolute fear that had consumed it. There was no rush like there had been the first time he had went with Joe. He started questioning why he wanted to work for Billy in the first place.

—

The clock next to the bed read 1:45 in bright red letters. Celes glanced over at Billy hearing a light snore coming from him. She gently pushed his arm off her waist and lowered her feet onto the carpet. Easing herself off the bed she took one more glance at him before tip toeing out of the room. Her footsteps were light as she walked through the darkness moving her hand against the wall. Her hand crept around the corner of the kitchen feeling the cordless phone as she read out and slowly pulled it off the charger. Evie had gotten Joni's sister's number from her mother, but hadn't had luck on an answer. The door clicked as Celes pulled it back and stepped out onto the stoop. She gently shut the door behind her and sat down rubbing her hand on her arm. Dressed in only a pair of shorts and a tank top, the breeze sent goose bumps to appear all over her. She dialed the number Evie had given her and cradle the phone to her ear. It rang and rang and rang until an answer machine finally picked up. Celes hit the off button and then dialed the number again. She did this fifteen times before someone's voice finally came onto the other line.

"_What_?" a girl yelled.

"Is Joni there?" Celes asked ignoring the anger in the person's voice.

"What?"

"I need to speak to Joni."

"Do you realize what time it is?"

"Yes, but this is important." The girl let out a groan.

"Who is this?"

"This is Celes, and I need to speak to Join right _now_."

"Hold on a second," the girl snapped as Celes heard a few scuffles and murmured voices. Finally after three minutes Joni's voice came onto the line.

"Celes?"

"Joni what the fuck were you thinking taking off with that much money?" Celes snapped not even caring to say a hello to her.

"I..." Joni stammered with her words. "I just wanted to get back at Joe."

"Well it wasn't _Joe_ that paid for your mistake, it was _Billy_."

"What?"

"Bones shot Billy today because you stole the money! I almost lost him because of _you_!"

"I'm sorry," Joni said.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Celes snapped feeling her face grow red. "You better get your ass back to Boston with that money right now!" Joni rambled on her excuses as Celes drew in a deep breath.

"I don't give a shit," Celes snapped feeling her anger grow. "I want that money back. If you do not give it back to me by tomorrow, I will tell Billy exactly where you went."

"You're supposed to be my friend!" Joni yelled.

"Friend?" Celes let out a stiff laugh. "Explain to me what a friend is Joni. You knew who that money belonged too, and you did it any ways! Then you got me involved with it! Are you really that stupid enough to think that everything was going to be fine?" She inhaled a deep breath feeling her hands start to shake.

"Okay, okay. Just stop!" Joni said. "You'll get the money back."

"You better," Celes said. "Because if you don't and something happens to Billy, I will come to Chicago myself, and you _do not_ want that Joni." She slammed the off button down before Joni could say another word.

Celes eased the door shut behind her and slowly crept across the room. Billy was still laying still as she pushed herself under the covers letting out a sigh. She jumped feeling Billy's hand touch her arm and quickly looked over at him.

"Why are you so damn cold?" he mumbled stretching out his arm and pulling her closer to him.

"I just needed some air to clear my head," she said placing her head under his chin.

"Stop worrying about it," he grumbled. She didn't respond feeling his breathing start to steady again. Never in her life had she ever came close to threatening another person. The relationship that her and Billy had built was something she was not willing to let go of. She had risked everything, her life, her morals, and her safety to be with him. That wasn't about to be ruined from an irrational mistake made by a 'friend'. One thing Celes knew for certain was if Joni did not return that money, and Billy was taken away from her, she _would_ follow through on her threat.


	22. For What It's Worth

1**Chapter 22: For What It's Worth**

A tight knot twisted in Celes's stomach as she watched Billy carefully count the money out on the kitchen table. Faint sounds of Savannah running through the house, Evie talking on her phone, Brayden picking away at his guitar could only be heard by Celes. Billy didn't hear any of these things, the only sound he heard was coming from the clock hanging up on the wall, ticking loud, reminding him that it was getting closer and closer towards his deadline. Five hours is all he had left, and as he laid the last bill down, he was still under a grand short. He pushed the money away from him, propping his elbows up on the table and started to rub his temples.

"How long did he give you?" Celes asked. From the few glimpses of Bones, Celes knew he wasn't one to dick around. There had to be some kind of deadline. Knowing that Bones would fire a shot at his own son proved that he was more of a monster than he appeared to be. She couldn't even imagine how Joe and him were even brought up by that man. How they were even still alive was beyond belief. Billy ignored her question as he reached into his pocket pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He glanced over at her, his eyes stern and narrowed.

"What have I told you about this shit?" he asked his voice low as he glanced over seeing Savannah sitting in the living room. Celes pushed herself closer to him and placed her hand on top of his shoulder.

"That I need to stay out of it," she recited. "That I don't need to know because it's your way of protecting me and Savannah. But-"

"Exactly. Now drop it, because I'm not having this conversation with you again."

"I _need_ to know," she pushed ignoring the fact that his neck was starting to turn red. "Did he give you a few days? A week?"

"Stop," he ordered lighting up his cigarette.

"What happens if this isn't enough for him?" The panic she had been feeling since she saw Billy's wound was finally starting to surface. She had pushed it back, for his sake, knowing it would only add more stress to what was going on. Joni still hadn't called, and she wouldn't pick up at any of the numbers Celes had dialed. The only thing she hoped was that she was heading back to Boston. "Billy, is he going to kill you?" Celes asked again. Billy pushed away from her taking quick drags from his cigarette. "After everything that has happened this would be the moment to tell me." She reached over cupping the side of his face and made him face her. "I need to know if tomorrow, Bodie, or Joe or someone is going to show up at my door telling me that you're-"

"Stop fuckin' asking me because I don't fuckin' know what's going to happen!" Billy yelled. Celes dropped her hand glancing over into the living room see Brayden quickly scooping Savannah up and heading towards her bedroom.

"Why is Billy yelling?" Savannah asked as Brayden shushed her. Evie was already on her feet giving Celes a nervous look as she walked out of the room.

Billy leaned back in his chair letting out a sigh. Tears formed in the corner of Celes's eyes as she pushed herself up from the chair and walked over to the sink to get a glass of water. For him to be unsure about what was going to happen scared the living hell out of her. Her hands started to shake uncontrollably, the water sloshing over the sides, frustration flew through her as she chucked it into the sink. Glass shattered everywhere making her take a step back.

"Jesus Celes," Billy said walking over and grabbing her hands making sure she didn't cut herself.

"How can you expect me to keep pretending that this kind of stuff isn't happening?" she asked quietly. He dropped her hands looking away not saying anything. He couldn't reassure her that everything was going to be okay like he always did. "This is all my fault. I should have never-"

"How the fuck is this your fault? You always apologize for shit that you didn't do or have anything to do with, so just stop it. I got enough on my fuckin' plate-" He stopped himself taking a few steps away inhaling deep breaths.

"Just tell me how much more time you have left," she snapped. He let out a growl and rubbed his hand over his head. She wasn't going to drop it, he was stupid to think that she would.

"Not much," he said through clenched teeth. "Now fuckin' drop it." Celes's eyes bulged as she griped the side of the counter to help steady her feet.

"How much is not much?"

"I've got some hours left, okay? I've got this under control! Now drop it!" he bellowed at her making a chill run up her spine.

"Fine," she spat. "I'll drop it, but under one condition."

"Yea? What's that?"

"Whether or not you realize it, everything that happens to you affects me. Not only me, it affects my daughter. And she might not have any memories of her father, but she's going to have memories of you because she's older now. And she looks up to you Billy, she thinks you're some kind of super hero. That little girl loves you. So I need to know what I'm suppose to say to her when she ask why you walked out the door one day and never came back to us. If you can tell me _that_, then I'll _fuckin' drop it_." Billy sniffed, his lips smashed together in a thin straight line as he walked over to the table throwing the money into his bag. "Where are you going?" Billy let out a huff throwing the bag over his shoulder and headed towards the front door. "Dammit Billy!"

"We can fight about this shit all night long Celes," Billy snapped. "Or you can shut your mouth, and let me go do what I've got to do so I _can _come back!" He didn't wait for her answer as he ripped the front door open and stormed out of the house. Celes winced hearing the door slam shut and quickly walked out of the room hearing the engine roaring outside. She was almost to her room when Evie came running out into the hallway.

"Joni just called," Evie announced with wide eyes. "She wants me to meet her in thirty minutes to get the money."

"What?" Celes asked her own eyes growing wider than Evie's. "Where at?"

"I can't tell you."

"_What_?"

"She said she wanted me and me alone to come get the money. You scared the hell out of her, and she's afraid you're going to tell Joe or worse, Billy, where she's at. The only way she'll give the money up is if I go alone."

"Fine," Celes said not going to argue with her about it. Joni was smart for making Evie come instead of her. Because right now there was no telling what Celes was capable of doing to her once she saw her.

"I'll be back," Evie said giving Celes a hug. "Hey and smile, everything is going to be okay now." Celes grunted at the remark watching Evie walk out the door. The only thing she hoped was that Evie was right.

—

"We got another five hundred," Bodie said as Billy downed his drink. He nodded his head glancing over at Joe and raised his eyebrows.

"Me and Spink got three," Joe said quietly not looking his brother in his eyes.

"Heco, Tommy, and Baggy are still running around, like I said dog, ain't no worries here," Bodie said raising his glass. Billy let out a huff and put his cigarette out. In the last few hours had left, the last thing he wanted to do was fight with Celes. He was furious how she threw Savannah in his face like that. His cell phone went off as he glanced down seeing Heco's name pop up. He answered it, hearing Heco ramble that they had just made four hundred and we're heading to the office. Billy shut his phone and stood up throwing his coat on.

"Get up Joe, we're leaving," Billy said sternly then walked away from the table. Joe eyed Bodie nervously quickly getting on to his feet and followed his brother out the door. Billy didn't say a word as he opened his car door, Joe already slipping into the passenger seat. The engine started as Billy sped out of the parking lot shoving a cigarette in his mouth.

"Your jaw still hurt?" Billy finally asked glancing over at him.

"A little," Joe mumbled staring straight ahead.

"Good." Joe let out what sounded like a half huff and grunt. The car grew silent again as they drove towards the Office. The tension in Billy's neck was gone knowing now that he had a little over four grand to deliver to Bones. The money he gave him two days ago didn't mean a thing. It was like it had never existed. When they arrived Billy cut off the engine and pulled the keys out.

"I know I really fucked this up Billy," Joe said firmly. "But I'm not a kid anymore, and this shit is on me. I wanna be the one to take Bones that money, and I'll take whatever is given to me."

"The fuck if you are," Billy snapped. Joe shook his head reaching inside his jacket and pulled out his cigarette pack. "You ain't ever going near that place, you understand me?"

"Why do you keep covering my ass?" Billy reached over and planted his hand firmly on Joe's shoulder.

"You are not ready to face something like this." Joe shrugged his shoulder knocking Billy's hand away. "The only thing that fat fuck cares about is himself. He doesn't give a shit about you and or me."

"Again, why the fuck cover for me?"

"Cause you're my brother," Billy said sternly. "That's why. And if you wanna help out, then you'll get your ass out of this car and go in there and help Heco not fuck up the next batch. We still got a buisness to run, so c'mon." Billy got out of the car stalking towards the steps and glanced back. Joe was slowly walking behind him as Billy reached the steps. He stopped placing both hands on Joe's shoulders.

"What?" Joe asked. In Billy's eyes Joe would always be a kid. That same little kid that always came to him first when he needed something. The kid he watched over and protected every time Bones was in a mood. Although he did a lot of stupid shit that Billy always had to drag him out of, there was something different about him lately. Billy could see it, and he felt it, when Joe had offered himself up to be the one to face Bones. His little brother was slowly starting to turn into a man.

"I trust you," Billy said firmly. "And whatever happens, I need to know that there will be someone looking out for Celes and Savannah." Joe's eyes widened as he stared at his brother. "You think you can do that for me?"

"Yeah," Joe said. "You know I will Billy." Billy nodded his head and turned back around walking into the Office. Joe stayed back a few feet puffing away on his cigarette with a slight smile on his face. Even though Billy's words scared him, it also showed him that he had his brother's trust.

—

The front door opened as Evie stepped in carrying a black shopping bag. She held it up as Celes picked Savannah off her lap and sat her down on the couch. Savannah didn't pay attention to what was going on, just kept her eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Did she say anything?" Celes asked as they stepped into the kitchen.

"Just kept rambling on about how sorry she was, but I told her to shut it and to stay the hell away," Evie replied setting the bag down on the kitchen table. "It's all there, I counted it twice."

"Thank you," Celes breathed out giving Evie a hug. Seeing the money right in front of her made her feel more at ease.

"And also on my drive back, I came up with a plan. When you give Billy the money, you tell him Joni called me, and I went down there and met her. You didn't know shit about this. And when he asks, I don't have a clue where Joni was or where she's going now. End of story."

"You know," Celes said walking over to the phone and picking it up. "For someone who despises him so much, you're really good at helping out."

"The only thing I care about is that my best friend is happy. Now call baldy up and get this mess cleared up so we can go back to the chaos I'm happily comfortable with." Celes smiled, a real smile, as she dialed Billy's number. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. She hit redial over and over again until she finally put the phone back up.

"He won't pick up," Celes mumbled walking over and grabbing her truck keys. She knew he was probably avoiding her now. Picking up the bag she glanced over into the living room at Savannah. "Do you care to watch her while I try to find him?"

"Sure, but here take my phone and keep trying to call him," Evie said as Celes walked over giving Savannah a kiss goodbye then walked out the door. Once she was in her truck she stuck the bag on the floorboard and headed to Four Roses. When she pulled up to the parking lot, she didn't see any cars that looked familiar. Stepping out of the truck, she locked the doors and headed inside. Sammy was wiping down the counter when she walked through the door.

"Have you seen Billy?" she asked.

"He left a few hours ago," he replied. Celes mumbled a thanks and walked back out the door getting back into her truck. The next stop was the Office, even though she knew Billy would be furious she was there, she didn't know where else to go to. As she pulled out on to the street she picked up the cell phone and dialed Billy's number, still not getting an answer.

Her hands slammed down on the steering wheel seeing no vehicles in sight when she pulled into the Office. She picked up the phone again, this time calling Bodie's number that Evie had programed into her phone.

"Hey baby," a voice said on the other end as Celes bit back her lip trying not to laugh. It still was amusing knowing that Evie, out of all people, was seeing Bodie.

"It's Celes Bodie," she said. "I need to find Billy, where is he?"

"I don't know, he skipped out about thirty minutes ago. Is something up?"

"I just need to find him. Do you have any idea where he's at?" She glanced down at the clock seeing it was six thirty. "Did he go back to his apartment?"

"I doubt it. Whatever it is, it's just going to have to wait." There was only one last place she knew where to look. A place she didn't want to go to, but there was no other option. Her hands were shaking as she tried to block out thoughts of Billy already gone.

"Where's Bones shop?"

"Hell no," Bodie snapped. "Whatever you're thinking Celes you better stop. Just wait at home and Billy will call you or show up."

"Yeah and what if he doesn't show up Bodie? What if he's already dead? What am I suppose to do then?"

"He will fuckin' kill me if I tell you where that's at. Don't go do something stupid-"

"I'll find it my damn self!" Celes practically yelled snapping the phone shut and tossing it to the side. Getting ordered around was starting to get on her very last nerve. She pulled back onto the street and headed down the road again. Bones's shop was bound to be somewhere around this place. She spotted two guys standing outside a small gas station and pulled in.

"Hey," she shouted out the window. "Do you know where Bones's shop is at?"

"You lost?" one of them asked as another guy slapped his arm and whispered something to him. Celes bit back her lip, her foot already about to punch the gas if either of them tried to pull something.

"Do you know or not?"

"Yeah," the other guy spoke up walking a couple of steps. "You're Billy Darley's girl aren't ya?" Celes stared at him as he chuckled. "You ain't got no buisness going down to that place sweetheart."

"Just tell me where the damn place is at," Celes said feeling more frustrated by the minute. She had to find Billy and give him the money, even if it meant going down there by herself. The guy grumbled under his breath and glanced back at his friend. Celes raised her eyebrows getting more impatient. The guy finally looked back at her and pointed in the direction she had just came from.

"Go two blocks back and take a left, you'll see it," he finally said. Celes thanked him and pulled out of the parking lot heading in the direction he had sent her.

She pulled the truck over and stared at the building in front of her. The sun was already setting, but the shop itself was intimidating. Chain linked fence, a sign giving the stern warning for everyone to stay away. Inhaling deep breaths Celes reached over grabbing the bag and stepped out of her truck. She shut the door and slowly walked towards the gate and pulled it open. Billy's car was no where in sight as she started walking towards the entrance. A loud growl came from the right side of her as she jumped seeing a Pit Bull flying towards her. The chain around his neck jerked him back as she quickly ran to the entrance. She inhaled a deep breath and stepped in. The place was dark, and she saw a few men behind a clear tarp working on a vehicle. One guy looked up at her, squinted his eyes and said something she couldn't hear. She kept walking seeing a door open at the end of the hallway. A desk was sitting in the middle as she approached the door. Her hands were shaking as she took a few steps inside seeing Bones slamming a door shut. He turned around, wiping sweat from his forehead and looked up. His eyes squinted at her, his lips smashed together as he started walking towards her.

"I think you're a little far from home little girl," he bellowed. He stopped a few feet away from her and reached over towards his desk. Celes instantly froze, her face growing pale when she saw the gun sitting there. Bones chuckled seeing her reaction as he grabbed the other pair of glasses off his desk and swapped them out. "You gonna answer me or am I gonna have to shake the shit out of you first?"

"I-I.." Celes stuttered. "I have your money."

"My money? How the fuck do you have my money?"

"I j-just do," she stammered trying to gather whatever courage she had in her. "Here, take it." She pushed her arm forward as Bones ripped the bag from her hand. He glanced inside of it, a smirk growing on his face and looked back up at her. "There's four grand in there," she stated. "It's all the money Billy owes you."

"So Billy boy is sending his whore to do his bidding now?"

"He doesn't know I'm here," she said ignoring the insult he had just thrown at her. Bones raised his eyebrows and walked over to his desk. He flopped down in the chair making a loud squeaking noise as he pushed himself forward. "So that's it then," she said taking a few steps back. Bones grabbed his gun off the table, cocking the barrel, and pointed it at her.

"Keep your ass right there princess," he commanded giving her a cold hard glare. "I'm going to count this money first, then we'll see about you walking out that fuckin' door." Her chest started to cave in and out as she watched him place the gun down and dump the bag out onto his table. He licked his finger and started counting out the bills. Celes glanced around seeing the clock on the wall, it was five minutes until seven. The pile started to build up as he glanced up at her. "Since Billy doesn't know you're here, that mean you're the one that stole my money?"

"No," Celes said shaking her head quickly.

"Then how'd you get your hands on this?" He leaned back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's mine." Bones let out a loud chuckle making Celes jump as he leaned his hands down on his desk.

"You mean to tell me you're giving up four fuckin' grand so my half wit of a fuckin' son doesn't die? You think his life is even worth that fuckin' much?" Celes eyebrows narrowed not believing what he had just said. Since the day Savannah came into this world she knew she would go to Hell and back for her. She couldn't even grasp how he could be so cold hearted towards his own son. "Cause I'll tell you right now, he ain't worth a dime on the sidewalk. So whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it. Cause he's a fuck up, always has been, and always will be. Ya got me?" Celes crossed her arms and looked away from him. She wanted to scream at him, tell him he didn't know a damn thing about Billy. There was no way she would. She had pushed Billy's buttons before, even when she knew what he was capable of. But she didn't even want to think of the things Bones would do to her if she tried to push his. Bones let out a grunt, shaking his head and continued to count the pile of money.

The engine roared as Billy wiped into the lot and shut it off. Billy and Bodie both stepped out, Billy adjusting the bag on his shoulder as he flicked his cigarette out to the side. He started walking towards the gate when he looked behind him seeing Bodie still standing by the car staring to his left. Billy followed his gaze, his eyes immediately popping open, nostrils flared seeing Celes's truck park off to the side. His grip on the bag tightened, veins popping up on his forehead as he heard Bodie slammed his hands down on the car.

"Fuck!" Bodie yelled shaking his head. "I didn't think she'd actually show up here dog."

"What?" Billy snapped glaring towards him.

"She called me, said she needed to talk to you and shit, then asked where the shop was, but I told her to stay at home and wait."

"And you thought she'd actually fuckin' listen!" Billy yelled. Bodie stared at him not being able to give him an answer. When Celes had hung up on him, he figured she was just pissed, but he should have known better. She was not the same innocent naive girl that they had met at the Diner all those months back. This alone proved it. Billy kicked the gate open, his chest heaving as he snapped his head back towards Bodie stared at him.

"You got your piece on you?"

"Always," Bodie said patting the side of his pants.

"Good, if that fat bastard tries to pull some shit on her,_ use_ it," he snarled spit flying out of his mouth. Bodie nodded his head following Billy into the shop.

The stack was getting lower and lower when Celes heard the sound of footsteps started to approach the room. Bones looked up, one eyebrow raised as she slowly turned her head and gulped. Even with the hallway dark, the sound of his boots, the way of his walk, instantly told her who was approaching them. Billy stood in the doorway for a split second, his head tilted back, a stern cold look in his eyes as he approached them. His eyes narrowed at Celes, looking her over. Besides looking scared out of her mind, she didn't have a scratch on her. Bodie leaned back in the doorway catching Celes's eye. He shook his head at her dropping his hand down by his waistband.

"What she doing here?" Billy asked standing a few feet away from her. He knew that she had come willing, but had no idea why.

"She seems to think you're fuckin' worth something," Bones said standing up eyeing the bag Billy was holding. "What the fuck is that?"

"Your money," Billy said then looked down at the desk seeing the stacks of bills on his desk. He looked over at Celes raising his eyebrows giving her an angry glare. She had showed up with the money, but how did she get a hold of it? He knew she didn't have any money like this simply laying around.

"Well if it isn't my fuckin' day," Bones declared reaching over and ripping the bag from Billy's arm. He opened it up and glanced inside letting out another chuckle dumping the money out.

"We good now?" Billy asked reaching over and grabbing Celes's arm firmly. Bones licked his lips and leaned over his desk his eyes det set on Billy.

"Never fuckin' walk through that door again without what I expect Nazi. And _never_," he said jabbing his chubby finger towards Celes. "Let your bitch come here again. We understand one another?" Billy nodded his head as Bones plopped back down into his seat. "Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind about killing all three of you!" Billy turned around dragging Celes behind him as they both walked out of the office. Bodie shot Celes a look as he followed them both out of the shop. She winced at the pain shooting through her arm. When they reached outside Billy dug his hand into Celes's pocket and pulled out her keys. He tossed them over to Bodie telling him to drive her truck back to the house. His grip never loosened on her arm, only grew tighter and tighter as he stormed towards his car.

"Billy-" Celes choked out.

"Don't say one fuckin' word to me right now," he barked ripping the passenger door open and shoved her in. He quickly rounded the car and got in slamming his door hard. The car flew forward as Celes braced herself in her seat. It didn't matter how much he would scream at her for what she did, she didn't regret it at all. Bones was scary. His words, the way he stared her down, everything about him sent chills down her spine. But nothing was more scarier than the thought of Billy losing his life.

Billy's hands were shaking as he yanked a cigarette out of his pack and placed it in his mouth.

His cheeks sunk in inhaling a deep drag as she looked over at him. "How the fuck could you be so stupid!" Her face instantly turned red, eyes narrowing, as she snapped her head at him.

"Well maybe if you would have quit being so damn stubborn and picked up your phone I wouldn't of had to go in there!" she shouted back at him. "Jesus Billy, what was I suppose to do? Evie got the money from Joni-"

"_Joni_?!" he yelled his eyes growing wild. "That's where you got it from? Where the fuck is she?"

"I don't know and I don't give a shit where she is!" She turned her head away from him and stared out the window. "She called Evie," Celes said reciting exactly what Evie had told her to say. Lying to him wasn't something she wanted to do or felt good about, but right now, wouldn't be the right time to bring the truth up.

"Why didn't you just tell Bodie?"

"I panicked! You said you didn't have much time, Bodie said you already left-" she stopped herself reaching down and grabbing his pack of cigarettes. "Once the thought crossed my mind that you could have been dead when I had the money sitting right next to me..." her voice trailed off as she shook her head and placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit it. "You can be pissed off all that you want Billy, but I'm not going to apologize for what I did." She stared at him, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. "Oh and by the way, I'm _fine_," she said with a huff leaning back in the seat.

"I knew you were fine because you were still standing when I got there," he grumbled. She didn't know if she was suppose to take that as some kind of comfort or not. Billy took one of his hands off the wheel and popped his neck. For her to go in there and risk her own life showed him how much she was actually willing to risk. He didn't want her to do that. She couldn't do something careless like that ever again. "But going in there was stupid," he said reaching over and placing his hand down on her knee. His fingers curved around her knee cap as she stared down at it. "You threw Savannah in my face earlier today because you knew that would eat the shit out of me. You want me to do that to you?"

"Don't," she said feeling tears swell in her eyes.

"Then you better start thinking rationally for now on," he said sternly as she looked over at him.

"Me think rationally?" she quipped placing her hand down on his and squeezed it. He let out a grunt and shook his head ignoring the irony in her voice.

Once they reached the house Billy parked his car behind Celes's truck. Bodie had beat them there, already inside the house. Billy shut the car off and reached his hand up, sliding it behind her neck. He leaned forward aggressively planting his lips on her. Celes pushed herself against him, biting down on his lip, a smile crept across her face. His hand dropped down to her shirt and slid underneath it. She pushed herself back against the door, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Right here?" she asked. He titled his head down, giving her a sly look as he leaned towards her. She let out a laugh feeling his arm wrap around her back when the porch light flipped on. Billy hadn't seen it, his only focus on her, but she had glanced up. There standing in the doorway was Joni. Celes's heart started to pound as Billy's lips trickled down her neck. He titled his head up, wondering what the distraction was when he saw her.

"Fuckin' bitch," he growled pulling himself away from her. Celes quickly spun around in the seat jerking the car door open. Billy was already out of the car, storming up towards the yard by the time Celes's feet had hit the pavement. "You're fuckin' dead!" he screamed. Joni froze in place on the steps, her hands shaking seeing Billy storming towards her.

"Billy don't!" Celes yelled running after him. The front door flew open, Bodie and Brayden both running outside with Evie right behind them. Evie pushed through both of the guys, shoving Joni off the front steps.

"Run!" she yelled. Joni crashed to the ground, scrambling to her feet when Billy grabbed her shoving her against the side of the house. His hands reached up, clamping around her throat.

"You steal from me and have the nerve to show up at my fuckin' house?" he spat at her. Bodie and Brayden were standing on opposite sides of him trying to pull him off of her. Evie jumped in and started digging her fingernails into Billy's hand. He could hear Celes shouting at him to let her go, but his anger was taking over him. He got shot because of Joni. Watched Celes risk her own life because of Joni, and he wanted her to pay for that.

"Dammit Billy," Celes screamed grabbing his chin and yanking his face in her direction seeing his dark eyes staring back at her. "Let. Her. Go." Billy's hand loosened just enough for Brayden and Bodie both to be able to pull him back. Celes dropped her hand looking over at Joni. She was slumped against the house, gasping for air as Evie reached out to help her.

"Don't touch me!" Joni yelled.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Celes screamed at her.

"Because you're my friend and after I thought about it, I knew I had to come back here and make things right with you!" Joni screamed back at her furiously. "Don't you get it? It's only going to be a matter of time before he does the same shit to you." Celes's fists started to curl. "You're not strong, and you're stupid to risk you and Savannah's life to be with a killer! He's just going to leave-" _Wham! _ Joni couldn't get the last words out before Celes's arm flew back and came hurling towards her, crashing into her mouth. Joni's head flung back as she stumbled back quickly placing her hand over her bleeding mouth. Evie quickly jumped in front of Celes pushing her back some. She had never seen her throw a punch before, but judging by Celes's face, there was going to be more where that came from.

"Get your ass off my yard and never come back," Celes hissed her chest caving in. Joni didn't say a word as she quickly spun around breaking out into a jog towards her car. Someone's hand gripped her shoulders and she didn't even have to look behind her to know it was Billy. Evie took a step back letting out a laugh.

"Holy shit," she finally gasped out. "Are you okay?" Celes looked down at her hand and back at the street seeing Joni's car speeding off down the road.

"Why is everyone outside?" Savannah called out from the doorway staring at everyone. Celes quickly broke free and walked up the steps picking her daughter up. "Are you playing hide and seek?"

"No sweetie," Celes said kissing her forehead. "And I think it's time for someone to take a bath."

"Aw mom," Savannah whined. "Can't I play in my room for a little longer?"

"Just for a little bit," Celes said placing her back down as Savannah darted out of the living room and towards her bedroom. Everyone started to walk back in the house, no one speaking a word. She turned around seeing Billy walk in last, he closed the door and leaned against it.

"I'm fine," Celes said calmly looking around. Evie and Brayden both looked at her, their eyebrows raised and glanced at each other. "_Really_," she insisted. "It's over and done with, and I'm fine."


	23. In a Split Second

1**Sorry for my horrible lack of an update...I do that a lot...sorry!! THANK YOU THANK YOU for everyone left a review on the last chapter, and everyone that keeps up with the story. I thought of a cute/funny Billy & Savannah moment that I hope you guys like. Anywho, I'd love to hear what you think of the chapter so please leave a review :) :)**

**Chapter 23: A Split Second**

Billy pulled his mustang to the side of the curb and turned off the ignition. Grumbling under his breath he leaned back in his seat glancing around. He could see little kids running around the sidewalk. Parents waiting outside, glancing around until their child saw them, and came darting towards them. Mini vans with honor roll student stickers lined the block, making his black mustang with the red tribal signs stick out like a sore thumb. He wondered how long it would take a rent a cop to show up. Letting Celes talk him into this was not a good idea. But somehow in between the time they had been together, when it came to her, he had been more of a push over. He still held his ground on most things, but little things, such as this, eventually he would just do to avoid a fight. He had only gone to the Diner to grab something quick to eat before he had to head back to the Office. Joe and Bodie were both with him, when they walked in, seeing the place completely packed.

"Can you pick up Savannah for me?" Celes had asked right when they were headed to a booth in the back. He raised his eyebrows at her for his response. "I can't leave, we're too busy, and there's no one at the house to get her from the bus stop."

"What?" he asked almost thinking he didn't hear her right. Did she seriously want _him_ to go pick her up at school?

"I need you," she said pointing at him. "To go get Savannah from school. You can bring her back by here."

"No fuckin' way," he said with a chuckle making Bodie and Joe both laugh. The thought of him actually picking a child up at school would send out an Amber Alert real quick. Celes narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips. Right then he knew, he'd have to pick her up.

"Fine," she said. "I'll just leave work, even though we're swamped, and we're one waitress short and go pick her up, bring her back her, probably loose some customers..." her voice trailed off as Billy let out a groan. She was still rambling on as he pulled his car keys from his pocket telling Joe and Bodie that they were leaving. "Thank you," she said kissing him quickly on the cheek. She was trying to hide the smile on her face knowing he was annoyed as it was.

Joe and Bodie had been making little comments the entire ride over to the elementary school. Billy was still trying to adjust to his new family situation. It was becoming more easier to him in a sense, and his temper was more controlled when he was around Celes and Savannah. To his boys, he still ran his crew the way he had always done. The softer side of him wasn't shown to them, but right now, he was showing it, and he didn't like it at all.

"You two wanna shut your fuckin' mouths now?" Billy barked leaning over the steering wheel and glancing around. Joe let out a loud laugh making Billy's stern glare fall on him. "You laugh one more time and I'm going to knock your ass out."

"Sorry," Joe mumbled and glanced out the window. Through the swarm of kids, he finally spotted Savannah sitting under a tree a few feet away from the school entrance. "There she is," he said tapping his finger against the glass. Billy let out one more huff before he stepped out of the car. Eyes were falling on him quickly as he titled his head back and started strolling towards the tree. Ignoring a small gasp from a soccer mom, his eyes were set on Savannah, instantly he knew something was wrong with her. Her ponytail was barely hanging together, and her face was red and blotchy.

"What's wrong kid?" he asked peering at her through his sunglasses. She shook her head and started picking at the hole in her jeans. Billy glanced down seeing her knee poking through with a bright red scrape across it. "Did you fall?" She shook her head again and sniffled. Bodie and Joe were both out of the car now, walking across the school yard. Joe glanced over seeing a group of mothers huddled together. They looked nervous staring towards Billy, but one of them, a younger was staring at Joe. He nudged his head at her, giving her a wink, making her face instantly turn red.

"What's up?" Bodie asked his hands out when he approached Billy. He wanted to get back to the Diner and get something to eat before he had to go cook another batch. "We leaving or you plan on joining the PTA while we're here?" Billy didn't respond to Bodie's quip, he was more concerned with what was going on with Savannah. He leaned himself down, pushing his hand to the ground and balancing himself so he wouldn't fall over.

"What happened to your knee?" Savannah looked up at him, fresh tears in her eyes, and pointed her finger to the left. He glanced over seeing a group of boys, probably a couple years older than Savannah, huddled together and laughing. The boy she was pointing at was two sizes bigger than her. He was laughing loudly and waving something around in his hand. It was Savannah's red cape. "Did he push you?" Billy asked looking back at Savannah. She nodded her head and let out another sniffle. "What's his name?"

"Ricky," she said crossing her arms across her chest and let out a huff. "He's a big fat bully."

"Come on kid," Billy said as Savannah got to her feet and grabbed her school bag. Billy nudged his head at Joe and Bodie, as the three of them started walking across the school yard. A couple of the boys huddled in the group, looked up at them and quickly took a few steps back. Billy reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The boy that Savannah had pointed out as Ricky turned around and cranked his neck up staring up at the three intimidating men that were towering over him. He didn't even notice Savannah standing right between Billy and Bodie.

"You Ricky?" Joe asked glaring at him. Ricky's eyes went wide as he slowly nodded his head. "You the little punk that pushed Savannah to the ground?" He nodded his head again as his friends slowly started backing away from him. Leaving the class bully to stand alone.

"What's the matter with you?" Bodie snapped taking a step closer glaring him down. "Think you're a real badass for making her cry like that? Huh Mr. Tough Guy?"

"N-n-no," the little boy stuttered his bottom lip quivering.

"Maybe we should teach this little punk a lesson," Joe said trying to fight back a smile. It wasn't like they were actually going to hurt him, but enough to scare the hell out of him for messing with Savannah. "Then he'll think twice before picking on a five year old. What do you say Billy?" Ricky gulped seeing the tall bald headed man lean down towards him. He cooly took a drag off of his cigarette and locked his eyes with his.

"Apologize," he ordered. "_Now_."

"I'm s-s-sorry," Ricky stuttered holding out the red cape to Savannah.

"Sorry for what?" Bodie asked sternly.

"Fo-for pushing you and st-t-ealing your cape." Savannah ripped the cape from his hands giving him a smug smile.

"Yeah you better be," Joe said. "Or we'll be back."

"Can I help you gentlemen?" a woman's voice asked as Billy turned and looked over at her. She looked nervous as she glanced at them. Ricky had already ran off, darting towards the other side of the playground where his friends were standing.

"No," Billy replied flatly feeling Savannah wrap her fingers around his hand. Billy turned walking them both back towards the his car. Savannah cranked her neck around and stuck out her tongue at Ricky.

"Sir!" the woman called out as they headed towards the mustang. "Sir, please stop!" Billy turned around, an irritated look on his face as he pulled his sunglasses off. "We have a strict policy that only parents are allowed to pick the children up, unless we've been informed other wise. Is Savannah your daughter?"

"Yeah," Billy replied, narrowing his eyes at the lady.

"Oh," the woman said her face growing red from embaressment. "I'm sorry. I've only seen her mother come to school, not her father."

"Well now you have," Billy said putting his sunglasses back on. He turned around, not letting the woman say another word and headed back to the mustang. Savannah looked up at him before they reached the car and squeezed his hand.

"Thanks Billy," she said.

"No problem kid," he said flipping the front seat up as she jumped into the backseat.

Celes drummed her fingers against the counter, her face red from the phone call she had just received from the school. All he had to do was go to school and pick her up, it was that simple. She saw the red mustang pull up on the side of the building, Joe and Bodie were jumping out, Billy reaching into the car to grab Savannah out. Crossing her arms over her chest she watched as they all spilled into the Diner. Billy was the first to notice the pissed off look on her face. Savannah came darting towards the counter and chucked her school bag to the side.

"Hi mommy!" she said cheerfully trying to push herself up on the stool. "Can I have a milkshake?" Celes smiled lightly down at her.

"In a second sweetie," she said seeing Billy, Joe, and Bodie standing at the counter now. "How about you go sit down in a booth and when I'm done talking to Billy, I'll bring you one out. That sound good?"

"Yep," she said grabbing her school bag off the floor and running towards a booth. Evie came out the back, biting back her lip trying to hide her smile on her face knowing what was coming.

"An eight year old?" Celes snapped once she saw Savannah was out of ear shot. "_Really_?"

"What are you talkin' about?" Billy asked ripping off his sunglasses.

"Bravo guys," Evie chimed in and started clapping her hands. "You three have reached a whole new level." Celes snapped her heads towards Evie giving her a look making the clapping stop. Evie nudged her head at Bodie and Joe, giving them the tip to walk away.

"Are you going to explain to me what happened or do you want me just to guess?" Celes snapped. Billy huffed placing his hands down on the counter.

"It was nothing."

"Nothing? The school called telling me that Savannah's _father_ and two other men scared an eight year old boy so bad that he was crying his eyes out when his parents got there. You probably made the kid piss himself, what were you thinking?"

"I just scared the kid a little, what's the big fuckin' deal?"

"Because you're you, that's the big deal. Why the hell were you going around scaring an eight year old?"

"He pushed Savannah to the ground."

"_What_?" she yelped quickly glancing over at her daughter. She was sitting next to Joe as he helped her stack the creamer containers together. "Did she get hurt?" Billy could see the panic on her face and quickly reached over placing his hand on her arm.

"She's fine," he reassured her. "She's just got a scratch on her knee." Celes finally broke her gaze from her daughter and looked back at him. She let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well the school requested that for now on I come pick her up instead of you. I don't even know why they thought you were her father-"

"Because I told the lady I was," Billy said grabbing his cigarette pack from his pocket. He wasn't looking at her and missed the shock look she had on her face. Quickly it was replaced by a huge smile. "What?" he said placing the cigarette in his mouth. She shook her head lightly, still smiling as she leaned over the counter and took the cigarette out of his mouth replacing it with kiss. He wouldn't get why it meant more than anything to her about the words he just said, but it did. "What was that for?" he asked when she pulled back.

"No reason," she said still smiling. "I better get back to work, I'll see you when you get home." He watched her walk back towards the kitchen and shook his head, he quit trying to understand her a long time ago.

--

"Brayden drinks Jack! Brayden drinks Jack!" Brayden sang waving his hand side to side, the whiskey spilling out over the cup. Evie rolled her eyes reaching out and smacking him upside the head. "Ow!" Celes let out a giggle and adjusted her weight on Billy's lap looking up at him.

"He's your brother," he mumbled kissing her temple. She smiled lightly picking up her glass and taking a sip out of it.

"What time is it?" she asked reaching down and shoving her hand into his pocket to grab his phone. Her hand lingered for a moment as Billy raised his eyebrows seeing that sly grin spread across her face. Finally after a moment of teasing, she grabbed the cell phone and pulled it out.

"What time do you have to go get her?"

"At eleven, I still have an hour," she said placing his phone back into his pocket. Billy nodded his head feeling her hands reach back into his pocket. He glanced over at the pool tables seeing Joe leaned over talking a girl making him let out a grunt. He could tell by Joe's body language that he was trying to hit on her, but the girl wasn't taking the bait. She was rolling her eyes at him, making Joe look more frustrated by the minute. Since Joni had been gone, Billy had seen his brother grow up fast. After what had happened with Bones, he quit pulling his kid shit. He started running corners with Bodie, putting more hours into the work, and keeping his nose clean. What Joe didn't know that his time was coming soon. Billy had been debating it for a while now, but the more he thought of it, he knew Joe was ready to join the gang. It seemed like everything in the past five months had changed and for the better. With Marcus behind bars, and the rest of his men out of the picture, Stokley Hall had become theirs for the taking. This made Bones happy. It was more buisness coming in which meant more money and less bitching. He still threw his threats out here and there. Making it known that he was still the bastard that he had always been, but he had left Billy and Celes's relationship alone. It was surprising, but Billy wasn't going to second guess it.

Celes leaned her head down on Billy's chest, her finger traces over the tribal tattoos on his arm hearing Brayden still singing his song. She was a little surprised that Brayden was still around. It wasn't like him to just want to stay in one place all the time, especially since he hadn't gotten many gigs lately. Joe and him had become more close, always hanging out with one another. It worried her in a way, but she wouldn't dare voice that to Billy. It wasn't that she didn't like Joe, because she did. Over the past few months they had grown closer. Joe hanging out around the house, never caring to help out with Savannah. It was like she had gotten a second brother out of the mix. His anger wasn't like Billy's, he was more relaxed about things, easy going about things that happened. It was like when she wasn't looking, somehow a tight knit family had been formed around her.

"Stop looking at her ass," Evie snapped rearing back her fist and punching Bodie in his arm. He snapped his head in her direction glaring at her.

"I wasn't fuckin' lookin' at her ass," he snapped.

"Oh really? So you just happen to keep looking over there to stare at the fuckin' wall?" Celes covered her mouth trying not to laugh. She couldn't remember the last time Evie had even let a guy stick around for this long. Her and Bodie's relationship was more than comical some nights.

"How about you quit being such a fuckin' bitch!" Brayden's singing quickly stopped as he pushed his chair away from the table. If you wanted to piss Evie off easily, calling her a bitch did the trick. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty. Evie snatched the mug of beer that Bodie had been drinking and threw it in his face. His face twisted as he slammed his hands down on the table trying to control his anger. This wasn't the first time a glass of something cold had been thrown by her. Evie shot up out of her chair, cussing her head off, as she stormed towards the bathroom.

"I'll go calm her down," Celes said moving Billy's hands off her waist and slipping off his lap. She gave Bodie a sympathy tap on his shoulder as she walked past him.

"I'm going to kill her one of these fuckin' days dog," Bodie grumbled grabbing empty beer mug as Billy let out a grunt. "You want another beer?" Billy shook his head as Bodie got up from the table and headed towards the bar. Brayden scooted himself up back to the table and looked up at Billy. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something that had been on his mind in the past months, but he didn't know exactly how to approach him. Running errands for quick cash had been nice, but the robberies were another thing. Having to hold a gun, threaten someone else's life always made his stomach twist in knots. The last run they had, they were almost caught by the cops.

"Listen Billy," Brayden said trying to keep his words from slurring. "I'm not surre how," his body started to sway as he closed his mouth. He had drank too much tonight, all the whiskey was burning his throat, making his stomach churn. This was the best time as any to finally tell him that he wanted out.

"What?" Billy asked placing his elbows on the table trying to understand what Brayden was saying. Brayden opened his mouth a few more times, words coming out that didn't make any sense. Billy's eyes glanced back toward the bathroom hoping Celes would come out soon. Staying at the bar wasn't appealing to him anymore knowing that they could have the house to themselves for an hour. Silence wasn't an option anymore there, if it wasn't Evie screaming her head off with things like, _'Brayden if you use my hair gel one more time to fix that mullet of yours I'm going to kill you!'_ or Savannah busting in the door with wide eyes screaming that her Uncle Brayden was going to die, it was the Brayden and Joe stumbling into the house in the wee hours of the morning drunk of their asses. Joe had Billy's old place, but usually spent a lot of time crashed out on the other couch. Trying to stay sane at that house was becoming difficult. But Celes took it all in, fixing one chaotic problem after another. It was a quality he admired in her, she didn't even have to yell or get pissed to fix things. But at some point, he wanted the three of them to get their own place.

"I want out," Brayden finally stated then smiled widely because he finally got the words out. Billy stared hard at him making the smile disappear. "Not that I haven't appreciated it or nothin' man...I have.." he stumbled around with a few more words that Billy couldn't understand. "I just need to focus," he said his eyes wide and extending his hands in front of him. "On shit. Ya know?" It didn't really bother Billy that Brayden wanted out. He had been reliable, but he knew he wasn't cut out for the shit that his boys and him did. Plus he knew Celes was suspecting something was going on, especially where Brayden was getting all his money from.

"Okay," Billy said nodding his head. "You're out." Brayden flew back in his chair breathing out a sigh of relief.

The bathroom door swung open, Evie storming out with Celes behind her. They both walked over towards the table, Evie slamming herself down in her chair and glaring towards Bodie who was making his way back to the table. He went to grab the chair next to her when she kicked it out, sending it a few feet away from her.

"So this is how you gonna be tonight?" Bodie asked slamming the chair back over towards her. She didn't say anything, just continued to glare at him. Billy stood up before Celes could sit down and lightly grabbed her arm.

"Let's go home," he said his hand sliding up to the center of her back. She nodded her head, saying a quick goodbye to everyone and headed out the door. Before they even reached the car, Billy's lips pressed against her making a chill run up her spine. His grew harder, more passionate as she clutched his shirt pulling his body against hers. Billy cupped the back of her neck, his other hand resting on her hips as she felt herself being lightly pushed up against the car. She bit down on his bottom lip hearing him let out a grunt when she pulled away.

"Come on," she said giving him one more kiss before he pulled away and quickly walked around the side of the car. Billy took no time speeding down the highway to get back to the house. Once they entered the house, she barely had time to close the door before she felt Billy's hands tugging at her shirt. She laughed at him, knowing he was growing impatient, as usual. They both stumbled down the hallway, hands roaming over one another as Billy's hand grabbed onto the door knob and ripped it open. Billy crashed on the bed, Celes slipping onto his lap as she pulled her shirt off. Her hair fell over his face as she locked her lips with his. His hands slowly went around her back and up to her bra strap, releasing it with one hand, and tossed it to the other side of the room. The rest of their clothes followed as he flipped her over, pinning her arms up above her head. It never bothered her that he always wanted to be the one in control, she preferred it that way. Chills running through her body entire body, felling him inside of her. His trailed across her chest while his pace quickened. She bit back her lip feeling his grip release as she slid her hands around his back, his nails digging into his skin. This time she didn't have to worry about being quiet as loud moans escaped her mouth. Billy had to push his hand down on the bed from collapsing on her after they were finished. He rolled over grabbing a scrunched pack of cigarettes he had thrown on the night stand last night and pulled one out. Lighting the cigarette up he reached over pulling her closer to him as she laid her head on his chest. Her ear pressed against his chest, the rapid sound of his heart beat echoing through out her ears. Neither one of them spoke as her finger glided over the tribal tattoos on his body. After Keaton had died, she never thought she'd find someone that loved her like he had. Making her feel the way she did, but she had. It wasn't the same love, but that was the point. With Billy everything was different. All the hell they had went through with other people and their selves, every bit of it was worth it. Especially when she saw his eyes catching her making all those chills she loved to feel run through her entire body.

—

Joe had no idea what was so important that Billy demanded that he get to the Office. He had tried to ask, but the phone had went dead. Lately his brother had been in more of a good mood, his anger controlled and not lashing out over every little thing. Sometimes he thought that Billy had control all along, but knew that it was the only way to get people to fear him. Whatever the case was, he wasn't going to dick around about getting over to the Office. Throwing his jacket over his arms he strolled out of the apartment and locked the door behind him. He jogged down the steps, his cell phone already going off again when he glanced down seeing Billy was calling. He answered it telling him he was already on his way when Billy barked for him to hurry it up.

When he reached the Office, he saw that everyone's vehicles were there. This couldn't be good. Usually this late at night everyone was out on the corners. He walked down the hallways and into the cook station. All eyes were on him, no one daring to make a move. His brain traced back, trying to think of anything that could have been wrong or what maybe he had done wrong. Everyone was being so serious, so quiet, making his eyes shift around nervously.

"What's up?" he asked. Billy was leaning against a table, a stern look on his face as he looked up and stared at his little brother.

"You ready Joey?" Billy asked pushing himself off the table and taking a few steps towards him. He raised his eyebrows at Billy, not knowing what he was talking about.

"For what?"

"To join." Billy smirked seeing Joe's jaw about hit the ground.

"Are you fuckin' serious?" He had been waiting for this moment since he was sixteen when Billy had first started making a name for himself. Running the streets with his brother, not being known as the runt was something he dreamed about. Even through the years, he knew at some point his time would have to come. For Billy to ask him, meant that he had gained his brother's full respect, something he had wanted since he was a kid. Those that knew better were aware that anyone associated with Billy was not to be messed with. There had always been another gang, like Marcus's, that tried to take over, but they never won.

"Friday night," Billy said sliding a cigarette to his lips. "You sure you're ready?"

"Fuckin' right I am," Joe almost yelled. The room was consumed with sounds of laughter, claps, and cheers coming from the other guys. They were surrounding him now, whooping and hollering. Joe's face light up hearing them all cheer him on. Billy lips curled in a smile seeing the boys slap Joe on the back. He walked forward, placing his hand firmly on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you," Billy said as Joe nodded his head. "Now let's go get a drink."

--

Detective Wallis sat at her desk going over old case files. She let out a sigh, tossing the folder to the side and rubbed her temples. Some days she wished she would have picked a more stress free job. The door of the station opened making her glance up to see her partner, Peter Cambridge walked through the door. He immediately had _that _look on his face. The look he always had anytime he was about to give her some bad news.

"What?" she asked watching him walk over to her desk.

"You're not going to like it," he said letting out a sigh and running his hand through his dirty blonde hair. "Just got a call from Richard down at the DA's office, looks like Marcus Barlow might be cutting a deal." Her face instantly flushed as she raised her eyebrows. Her signature look when she was about to get furious. The one thing that could eat at her more was a criminal weaseling their way out of their sentence.

"You remember the Parker family murders?"

"How could I forget," she mumbled. The Parker family murders were all over the news. The city was in an uproar over it, especially since the family was related to the mayor.

"Seems like Marcus knows a thing or two about it, he's willing to talk if they release him."

"He has a two year sentence, and he's only been in for five months. And they're willing to let him just go because he 'might'," she said throwing up quotation marks with her fingers. "Know something about it?" Peter raised his eyebrows at what she said as she shook her head. Of course they'd let him out. A two year sentence was like a slap on the wrist for guys like Marcus. Something had to be up for him to want to get out this soon, she could feel it.

"That's all Richard told me, but from how he talked. Barlow might be a free man by dinner time."

"Not if I have any damn say in it," she spat snatching her keys from her desk and storming past him and out of the station.

—

"Tomorrow night Joey!" Tommy yelled throwing back his head as Joe and Bodie both laughed. "You're gonna be a man."

"I am a man," Joe snapped then laughed, his feet stumbling around. Earlier that night, the three of them had been drinking at Four Roses. Pre-celebrating is what Bodie called it, although Joe had been celebrating since the night Billy told him that his time was coming. He was still shocked that two days ago he had gotten the news. But the news had put him in a good mood ever since. He knew to an extent of what he would have to do to get in. Taking someone's life was the cost you paid, which made him nervous as hell. But right now, all the whiskey he had consumed throughout the night were calming his nerves.

"Little Joey has grown up!" Bodie yelled throwing his arms up in the air and laughing. He glanced around the streets, his eyebrows narrowing. "Where the fuck are we going any ways?" They had been walking for a while now, not even paying attention to where they were headed. None of them could drive, and all the other guys had left the bar hours before they did. Heco had said he'd come back, but his sense of time was different than anyone else's.

"Fuck," Joe said spinning around. He pointed his finger in the direction that they had just walked from. "I think that the apartment is back that way."

"Let's get your drunk ass home Joe," Tommy said as they turned around heading back. The street was silent, besides their loud voices echoing down the trashed alley ways. None of them saw the black car with no headlights on, coming up from behind them as they continued to walk. Bodie was in the middle of cracking a joke while Joe pulled a cigarette out and stuck it in his mouth. He reached into his pocket pulling out his lighter. His finger fumbled with it making it slip out of his hands and land on the sidewalk. His body swayed as he leaned down to snatch it up. Glancing back up, he stumbled back, seeing a black car quickly stop next to them. The tinted window rolled down as Joe squinted his eyes trying to see who was inside of it.

"Who the fuck-" His eyes bulged seeing the gun pointed in his direction. _Pop pop pop!_ Joe's body tensed feeling the sharp pain of a bullets ripping through his skin. He stumbled back, trying to catch his balance. Bodie and Tommy spun around, Bodie ripping the gun from his waistband as Tommy flew back, a bullet striking through his arm. _Pop pop pop! _Joe stumbled trying to turn around and run, when he felt another sharp pain shooting through his side making him fall onto the cold concrete. He could hear more shots echoing through the night as he curled his body up trying to stop the pain. Tears filled his eyes, the main was unbearable. Bodie was able to fire off two shots before he felt something strike his side, making him fall to his knees. The gun flew out of his hand as he cursed under his breath trying to reach for it. Another loud popping noise came through, a bullet hitting the gun, making it fly down the sidewalk. Bodie looked up, his face grimace, as he saw someone with a black mask on stick their head out the window.

"You tell fuckin' Billy Darley that Marcus is back," the man shouted extending his hand and firing another shot into Joe's crumpled body. "And he ain't showin' no mercy this time!" The car flew forward, the tires burning onto the pavement, as Bodie pushed himself off the ground and grabbed his gun. Backing up, he fired as many shots as he could, before the car whipped around the corner and disappeared into the night.

"Bodie!" Tommy called as he got to Joe. "Dog, I don't think he's breathing." Bodie spun around, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his side, and ran towards them. His knees slammed onto the concrete, hearing the light gasping sounds coming out of Joe's mouth. His whole body was covered in blood, his face turning white.

"Fuckin breathe Joe," Bodie said placing his hand down on one of the wounds trying to stop the bleeding. Tommy was applying pressure to the wound that was near his chest, but it wouldn't stop. Joe gasped, trying to fill his lungs with air, but it wasn't working. He couldn't hear or see Tommy or Bodie anymore. Everything was becoming a complete blur. A gurgling noise escaped his throat, something that tasted like copper filling his mouth. This couldn't be happening, not now. Not when things had just gotten better. Not when he was finally going to be a part of something. The pain was too overwhelming making his body slowly start to numb.

"Tommy call a fuckin' ambulance!" Tommy reached his pocket ripping out his phone. "Joe!" Bodie screamed. "You gotta breath dog!" More blood flew out of his mouth, his eyes fluttering. Bodie shook his head violently knowing that he wasn't going to make. "No! Don't you fuckin' die on us! Joe!" His eyes closed, times standing still, everything becoming hazy when he saw her in his mind. His mother. She was laughing, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders as she watched him as a child. The warming smile she gave every time he came running through the front door. The way she tucked him in at bed at night, reading him stories. Since she had died, he always tried to block out the memories, but there they were, playing in front of him like he was watching a movie. He didn't want those memories to stop. They were flooding him, Billy showing him how to fight for himself. The first girl he had ever kissed, all of them, some he could barely remember were all there. _So this is what it's like_, he thought. He was trying harder now, fighting for his own life when his body went limp. What seemed like hours, was merely a second, like the snap of someone's fingers, the blink of an eye, and he was gone. Tommy was still on the phone, screaming for the operator to get an ambulance down there, when he looked down at Joe. The phone dropped out of his hands as he slowly turned his head towards Bodie.

"He's gone dog," Bodie's voice cracked, his hands shaking, as he slowly pulled them away from Joe's chest. "Joey's gone."


	24. Man Hunt

1**So the biggest THANKS ever for everyone that left reviews!! Killing of Joe was horrible, I know, it took me forever to even write that scene out. But I'm glad for the most part no one tried to shoot me! When I first started the story, I was going to have the whole actual DS movie come into play, but after this many chapters (which I didn't even think I could get out), I decided not to go that route, and just write my own. Which this isn't the ending chapter, by the way lol But I will warn you, this chapter is a long one. I think it's the longest chapter I've posted for this story, but I couldn't find a stopping point. Okay I'll quit rambling now, but please tell me what you think!! :)**

**Chapter 24: Man Hunt**

Billy gripped the kitchen counter at his old apartment, his fingers curled around it so tight that they were turning white. His breathing was harsh, eyes bloodshot, as he heard Bodie's words echoed through his head. _"You hear?" _Billy sucked in a deep breath, his jaw clenching so tight, he was sure it might break. _"It's Joe, dog. He's dead." _His head shook violently, thinking at that moment Bodie had to be lying. There was no possible way Joe was dead. Not Joe. Not his baby brother. _"He's gone." _His foot kicked up swinging into the bottom cabinets kicking them into them over and over again. Wood chunks flew out, his foot crashing through. _"Marcus got someone to kill him dog, we couldn't stop it. We tried Billy, we fuckin' tried everything to save him." _ Billy threw himself away from the counter, his arms waving as everything in sight was quickly being destroyed. All those years of looking after him, making sure Bones stayed away, making sure that Joe always had some sort of place to call home. He had let his feelings for Celes cloud his judgement. Any other time he would have never thought twice of taking Marcus out. His hand curled into a fist, pounding it into the wall until his knuckles were bleeding. He was through playing games now. Marcus was going to die a slow painful death for what he did to Joe. And he wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop him this time.

—

Celes opened the front door, Savannah wedging herself in and darting in front of her. She had just gotten back from picking her up from the bus stop when she walked into the door to see Evie, Brayden, Bodie, and Baggy all sitting in the living room. They were silent, grim expression on their faces. Evie looked up at her, tears forming in her eyes as Celes stopped in her tracks.

"What?" she asked with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"Marcus is back," Evie choked out. "And...Joe's...he's dead, they killed him." Celes's face fell, tears forming in her eyes. Bodie reached over pulling Evie into him and glanced over at Celes.

"Where is he?" Celes said her chest falling up and down quickly. Bodie shook his head, not knowing where Billy had went too. He had waited until Billy got into the Office to tell him. Delivering that kind of news at the house wouldn't be good. He was hoping, in some sense, that Billy might have already knew, that he wouldn't have be the one to tell him. Billy had no idea though. He was prepared, knowing that Billy's anger would explode, but the only thing he did, was turn and storm out of the Office. Wherever his friend was, he knew it wasn't a place he wanted to be right now. "Will someone watch Savannah?" Celes asked her hands shaking. Brayden nodded his head, standing up and walking over towards her. She put her hand up, right now she didn't want to be consoled. The only thing that mattered was finding Billy. Bodie was yelling behind her, telling her just to stay put. When Billy wanted to come around, he would. Of course she wouldn't listen to them as she jumped into the truck and sped off.

Her heart was racing as she climbed the stairs to his old apartment. She had looked everywhere, but all along she had a feeling he might be here. When she reached the door, she could see it was slightly opened. Stepping in, she gasped seeing the apartment destroyed. There were holes in the walls, shattered glass everywhere, the coffee table turned upside down, a kitchen chair laying in the middle of the floor, making it look like the place had been ransacked. She knew that he was still here, his car was out in the parking lot. Quietly she walked down the small hallway and pushed opened the bedroom door to see Billy sitting at the edge of the bed. His elbows were on his knees, his hands over his face. From the door she could hear his hard breathing. He didn't look up at her, probably not even aware that she was standing there. She stepped in closer, her foot snapping a CD case in half as Billy's head shot up. His eyes were bright red and swollen, his face pale, he didn't look like himself at all. The tough exterior wasn't showing itself today. Instead he looked broken and much smaller. Almost like a child sitting there staring up at her.

"Get out of here," he whispered his voice cracking as he spoke. Ignoring his words, she walked toward him. "Celes, get the fuck out!" That still didn't stop her, as she eased herself down on the bed, reaching out for him. "_No_," he snapped, his face turning red, pulling himself back. Still she reached, pulling him in, ignoring the harshness of his voice.

"Billy," she whispered, thick tears streaming down her face latching her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She pulled him closer to her, her forehead against his feeling his hot breath on her face. It could have been so easy for him to let her comfort him, try and sooth out the pain, but he couldn't. Quick breaths escaped his throat as he grabbed her hands and ripped them away from him.

"Get. Out." he growled, his eyes growing wild. Goose bumps crawled across her skin from the look he was giving her.

"No," she whispered shaking her head. Forcefully he reached over grabbing her shoulders pulling them both off the bed. She gripped onto his side shouting for him to let her go. "Billy, you're hurting me," she choked out as he struggled with her. Her back hit the door making it shut, both of them slamming up against it. She winced still struggling to get free. It was getting hard to breath with his body pressed so hard up against hers. As much as he might try to make her leave, she knew that with his state of mind she couldn't.

"I'm going to kill him," he seethed taking one step back his hands still grasped on her. She sucked in a deep breath staring up at him. "I'm going to fuckin' kill him, do you understand me?" He started to shake her, his eyes turning dark.

"Billy, you're not thinking-"

"You don't fuckin' get it!" he barked in her face making her eyes grow wide. "He killed Joe! That motherfucker killed him!"

"I know," she whimpered.

"Who's to stay you're not next? You, Savannah, hell, maybe even Evie." Her heart started to pound hearing her daughter's name being mentioned. She started to sob, not able to fight back the reality anymore. Knowing that Marcus was locked up had given her comfort. Now he was out, and already seeking out his revenge. And Joe had to be the one to pay the price for it all. Billy's hands dropped from her as he backed away, his chest still heaving. Running his hand over his head, he started to pace, his head spinning. His hands curled in fists as she watched him start to wail on the wall in front of him. He tore through the room, slamming things onto the ground, taking out his anger all over again. Celes cradled herself, wincing each time something was thrown or shattered. It was breaking her watching him go through this much pain knowing that nothing she could do could help him now. She had no idea how much time had passed before he finally stopped abruptly in the middle of the room, ripping out a pack of cigarettes. His knuckles were cracked, bleeding, and swollen as he shook out a cigarette and lit it. The smoke escaped his lip as he looked at her, his eyes widening as if he had forgotten she was even there to begin with. Taking a quick glance around the room, he stared at the destruction he had just caused. His eyes stopped, seeing Joe's red jacket hanging on the closet doorknob. Walking slowly over towards it, he stared down at it, his brother's face coming into his mind. Standing around here, tearing shit up wasn't going to make him feel better. Grabbing the jacket, he threw it on, then looked over at Celes.

"I'm taking you home," he stated walking towards her seeing her tense up. Her face was blotchy and stained with tears. "Listen to me," his voice hoarse but stern. "I don't want your ass going anywhere after I drop you off. Not work, not to take Savannah to school, _nothing_. Not until I find Marcus." She didn't say anything, her whole body shaking as he leaned in towards her. "Don't think about stopping me this time Celes, because it's not going to fuckin' happen. And if you try to get in the way-"

"Do not threaten me Billy," she snapped her eyes narrowing through her tears. "I know you're angry, and you want revenge, I get that. I understand that more than anyone. But do not walk around with guns blazing. If he could get to..." she stopped closing her eyes. She shook her head knowing that this wasn't going to stop him. "Promise me that you won't do something stupid," she finally said feeling his forehead place against hers. "Promise me Billy." He didn't promise her though, instead he ripped the door open, grabbing her arm, dragging her along. They didn't speak another word as they walked through the apartment and out into the parking lot. The car ride was silent, only the thumping noise Billy's was making with his thumb on the steering wheel.

"I should have never fuckin' listened to you," Billy said in a low voice. _Thump. Thump. Thump. _"If I would have just done what-"

"Then Joe would still be alive," Celes said finishing his sentence. Her face was growing red now not looking in his direction. "If that makes you feel better Billy, then blame me all you want." His jaw clenched as he stepped on the gas pedal, the car going right back to silence. When they reached the house, Billy cut off his engine, and looked over at her.

"Don't," she said shaking her head. She didn't want to hear another word from him now. The only thing she wanted to know was that he would be okay, and she knew he could never give her that answer.

"If you think for one second something is up, you call me," Billy said not looking at her. "I'll have one of the guys swing by later. Until then, there's a gun on the top shelf of our closet, use it if you have too." She felt the goose bumps crawling across her skin now. "And I mean it Celes, _do not_ leave this fucking house." She nodded her head leaning gripping her fingers around the door handle. The grasp she felt on her shoulder made her stop as he looked over, Billy's face leaning towards her. Their lips met halfway, the kiss not lasting as long as she would liked it too. Once again she was back in the situation of not knowing if he'll be coming home alive. What would happen out there. This was the biggest downfall of their relationship, and a tiny part of her was questioning if she could continue to live like this. Who was she really kidding, that part was always there, hidden away in her mind. Like always she had to push those thoughts aside, not letting them come to the surface. Because if she let herself really dwell on it, process each and every thought out, she knew what she would have to do.

--

The music was filling the bar as Billy's crew sat around their usual table. Mugs of beer, shot glasses, and bottles of Jack covered it.

"He was a true fuckin' solider," Bodie's voice cut in through as they raised their glasses up. "To Joe. He was a good boy," his voice grew higher over the music. "A good fuckin' boy!" The men cheered in, their glasses clanking against one another when a beer mug slammed up against theirs. Everyone's neck snapped in the direction seeing Billy towering over the table.

"So that's what we're going to do? Why don't you show a little fuckin' respect at least," he titled the mug over, the beer flowing out of it and pouring down onto the floor. "See, that's why-" he growled slamming the beer mug back on the table. Everyone's eyes were darting around nervously, not knowing what to expect. "-you guys are _nothin'_. That is why you're a bunch of fuckin' punks! Because you would rather drink up and toke yourselves fuckin' witless. Witless and scared shitless!" Billy sniffed, his eyes growling wild as he grabbed a filled shot glass off the table. "No. My bad. Let's-" he shook his head raising the shot glass up. "Here, cheers." His eyes were glaring down at them, everyone dead silent. "Get your fuckin' glasses up!" he screamed. "All of you!" Billy chucked back his arm sending the shot glass flying across the bar, shattering against the wall. The men raised their glasses, murmuring under their breath as they downed their shots. Billy turned away from them, wiping the spit from his mouth and staring across the bar. He wanted revenge so bad he could taste it.

Bodie leaned back in his chair staring at him. There was nothing in this world that was going to make this right. "Joe just wasn't made for this shit. That's all. He wasn't like us," he said in a sympathetic tone. Billy's mouth instantly twisted.

"No, wasn't like _you_, you mean." Billy spun around, jabbing his finger in Bodie's direction. "He was _not_ like you! He was _better_ than you!" Bodie eyes bulged out, his own anger rising.

"So you're gonna go this fuckin' way now? You think we haven't been tryin' our fuckin' hardest to make sure nothin' _ever_ happened to Joe? To Celes? Or to _your_ little girl?" Bodie demanded in a raised voice. "You don't think I didn't fuckin' try to save him? Well I fuckin' did dog! And now what? I'm not as good as you? That what you fuckin' think now? Joe was like blood to me, dog. As good as fuckin' blood! _You too!_" Everyone felt the same way, but only Bodie was man enough to say it. Billy's hand placed down on his waist, as he slightly nodded his head, giving a small smile.

"Well," Billy said sitting down at the table placing his hands together. "I would like to catch that motherfucker Marcus and whoever he fuckin' hired that did this."

"Oh we will," Tommy said nodding his head with confidence.

"Ain't no motherfuckin' doubt," Bodie chimed in.

"Do the right thing by Joe, yeah?" Spink said as everyone nodded their heads. Billy placed a cigarette in his mouth, lighting it with the burning candle on the table.

"So, who fuckin' did it?" he demanded taking a drag and ripping the cigarette out.

"It wasn't anyone from the Hall man. I would know about it," Heco said.

"Unless you were high," Billy cut in his face twisting again.

"I'm not high," Heco murmured wiping the sweat off his face.

"Wasn't anyone from B Street, Billy. Wasn't those pussies down on sixth," Tommy added in. "Wasn't any of those asshole." Billy leaned back in his chair running his head hand over his head. If their rival gangs hadn't given into Marcus, then who?

"Yo, my sister might have heard something," Baggy said lighting a cigarette as Billy's eyes fell on him. "She runs around with a girl named Tina that use to date Marcus. Said something about him wanting her to come see him when he was locked up." A cool line of smoke escaped Billy's lips as he leaned back in his chair, his jaw clenched.

"And you're just now fuckin' remembering this?" Baggy didn't answer as Billy leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Go talk to your sister." The chair flew out from under Baggy as he walked over towards his sister who was setting down a tray onto the bar. Billy couldn't see what they were saying, but when Baggy's face fell, glancing back over towards the table, he knew his sister had just given them the magic answer. Baggy gripped his sister's arm as they both walked towards the table. She stared at Billy, giving her brother a nervous look.

"Tell him Sarah," Baggy ordered as she let out a sigh.

"Tina told me..." her voice trailed off as she ran her fingers through her hair. She knew that the information Tina had rambled to her one drunken night was something she wasn't suppose to know about. Now as Billy stared at her, through his heavy dark eyes, she knew she had to tell him. He would probably kill her if she didn't. "Marcus met up with one of the Cutty Macks when he was locked up. Some guy named Rugged that owed him for a deal gone wrong a long time ago. He said that he was going to cash in that favor when he got out." Billy's bottom lip trembled, the cigarette barely hanging on as he stared at her.

"What else did he tell her?" Billy demanded.

"That's all I know," she replied. "I swear Billy, that's all she told me."

"Fuckin' Cutty Macks. I know that motherfucker," Bodie said shaking his head. "Are you sure you got your information right Sarah?"

"Yeah," she replied nodding her head. "Rugged is the guy you're looking for."

—

The streetlights were appearing, popping up one by one, as the black mustang roared. Heco was driving behind him, tearing through the streets down to the Cutty Mack territory. The Cutty Macks had never been a huge threat, they usually tried to keep their nose cleaned when it came to other gangs. But then once in a while, you'd have an asshole like Rugged, that pushed past the boundaries and got his nose dirty. If what Baggy's sister said was true, then Rugged and whoever he had gotten to tag along with him, was about to meet his maker.

"Slow down," Bodie said pointing to a small group of three men standing down on a street corner. The men weren't paying attention, standing around laughing, piss drunk. The headlights turned off as Billy put on the brakes staring up ahead. Shaking his head, he put a cigarette in his mouth. Whoever this Rugged guy was, he wasn't very smart to be standing out in the open like this. Apparently he didn't know who he was dealing with. Bodie leaned forward his eyes squinting as he nodded his head. He recognized the black car from last night parked on the curb. "That tall prick in in the green shirt. That's Rugged."

"Let's fuckin' do this," Billy said. They stepped out of the car, and Billy glanced back to see Heco and Baggy climbing out. Tommy wasn't worth anything right now, and he had been sent to keep camp with Celes. Even with Bodie's side still bandaged up he was still fast. And there was no way he was going to miss out on this. The four of them walked along the side of the buildings until they were only a few feet away. Clutching the gun in his hand, Billy cocked it, making one of the men look up. The rest of his boys raised their guns, making it known that they had the upper hand now.

"Oh shit!" the man yelled hitting one of his friends.

"No one fuckin' move!" Billy yelled storming towards the man in the green shirt. "You Rugged?" The man didn't answer as he glanced between his two friends. "You wanna answer me or should I just put a bullet through your fuckin' skull right now?" Bodie turned his gun on him, his eyes narrowing and cold.

"Answer him," he demanded.

"Yeah," the man said through clenched teeth. "I'm Rugged." Billy lurched forward grabbing him and throwing him against the side of the building. His two other friends quickly joined him against the wall in the back alley.

"Where the fuck is Marcus?" Billy hissed pressing the gun to Rugged's temple.

"I don't know what you're fuckin' talking about."

"Let me fuckin' remind you," Billy said striking him on the side of his face with his gun. Cursing under his breath, he winced, looking back up at Billy. "Marcus cashed in a favor, sent you to make his point. Who else was in the car with you?" Billy demanded. Silence. "Do you even fuckin' know who you killed?" Billy's mouth twisted, his heart racing. "Start talking or I'm going to start popping off your friends here!"

"I don't fuckin' know!" Rugged yelled. Billy sniffed, nodding his head giving the green light. Baggy pressed his finger on the trigger, a smug tight smile on his face, shooting off one round into the man's forehead that was standing on Rugged's right. He hit the ground, blood flowing from his head. Rugged's eyes lit up staring down at his dead friend. Shaking his head violently he hit his head against the wall. "Fuck man!"

"You remember now!" Billy screamed, spit flying out of his mouth, only inches away from his face. Rugged's bottom lip trembled. If he gave Marcus up, he would kill him. But then again, if he didn't, Billy would kill him. Not exactly a win-win situation. His hesitation was too long as Bodie shot off the next round, instantly killing the man on Rugged's left side. "How bout now?" His eyes were dancing wildy as he pressed the barrel of the gun further into his temple.

"Marcus man! Marcus was driving the car last night!" Rugged cried out. Billy dug the gun further wanting more. "After I fired the shots, he dropped me off, said him and a few guys would cover the shit from here. My job was done."

"What guys?" Heco barked.

"He didn't fuckin' say! I'm tellin' the truth man! I don't know where the hell he is!"

"What else did he say?" Billy asked his head titled down.

"Said that he was going to get back at that bitch who testified against him at court. But first he wanted to make sure you knew he wasn't playin' around. That's why he wanted me to fire shots, make sure one of your boys died." Billy's nostrils flared, his hand trembling of all the anger that he was consuming.

"He wasn't one of my boys," Billy said in a low voice. "He was my brother." Rugged's face fell as he stared at Billy. He knew he was going to die. Taking one step back, Billy pushed the trigger on his gun firing off three shots watching the life go right out of Rugged's eyes. He sniffed wiping his face where blood had spattered. The four of them walked back to the cars, leaving the dead bodies in the alley. At some point someone would find them, call the police, and a few questions would be asked. It wasn't something he was worried about, Boston was known for the rival gangs, and like all the other murders, it would go cold fast.

"Who ya think Marcus has got workin' for him?" Bodie asked as they drove down the road. Billy placed a cigarette in his mouth glancing over at him.

"No fuckin' clue," Billy said. "I'm going to talk to Sarah again tomorrow, meet up with that Tina girl that dated him. Marcus knows I'm out for fuckin' blood now. He'll lay low for a few days, just to see what happens. But when he makes his move, I'll be fuckin' waitin' for him."

—

A loud knock came from the front door making Evie jumped up on the couch raising the baseball bat high above her head. Brayden's eyes darted over, the gun that Celes had in her closet planted in his hands.

"Yeah you can really do some damage up there," Brayden hissed then nudged his head towards the door.

"You answer it, you pansy," she hissed back.

"Get my back," he said his voice louder hearing another loud knock. They started bickering with one another, their voices growing louder. They knew that Tommy had been parked outside, Jamie and Spink joining him about an hour ago, but still there was no telling who would be on the other side of that door.

"Open the damn door!" they heard Billy yell while pounding his fists on the door. Evie jumped off the couch, knocking Brayden to the side as she went to it. Quickly she undid the lock, taking a step back, the baseball bat still raised in the air. She knew it was Billy's demanding voice that yelled out, but she still wasn't taking any chances. The door flung open, Bodie stepping inside first then jerked back.

"A _bat_?" he asked grabbing it out of her hands. "What the hell are you going to do with a fuckin' bat babe?"

"Well it worked on Baggy's stupid ass," she snapped. Billy walked in, an annoyed look on his face. He glanced around the room nodding his head at Brayden before he looked back at Evie. "She's reading Savannah a story in your room," she said before he could even ask the question. He stalked past them and slowly opened the bedroom door. The only light that was on was the lamp on the night stand. Savannah was tucked in under the covers, her eyes closed as Celes laid next to her, a children's book still in her hands. Billy cleared his throat making her jump as her eyes darted towards the door. She carefully sat up, making sure not to wake Savannah, and slipped off the bed. Quietly she walked through the room as Billy took a few steps back. She glanced up at him then looked back in the room, not wanting to take her eyes off her daughter.

"Should I even ask?" she whispered so softly she wasn't even sure if she spoke the words out loud. She could hear the sound of Billy popping his neck behind her. She had no clue what to expect now. How he would act, what he would say to her. It was terrifying seeing him like that back at the apartment. She could feel his eyes burning in the back of her head, knowing at some point she would have to turn around and face him. Sucking in a deep breath she finally turned her head and looked at him. "You didn't find him, did you?" Billy shook his head, his eyes still filled with anger. The only thing he wanted to do was tear through the streets of Boston, not stopping until he found Marcus. The game they were playing now, he knew he had to be smart about it. Not overlooking anything and keep his anger at a level that he could handle.

Both of their heads snapped in the direction of footsteps that were coming down the hallway. Brayden stopped, glancing between the two of them. "I'll watch her," he said nudging his head towards the door knowing that the two of them needed to talk. He slipped into the room, lightly shutting the door behind him. Billy turned around walking towards the bathroom, Celes following right behind him. Flicking the light switch, Billy turned on the faucet in the sink, splashing cold water on his face. Celes saw the splatter of blood on his shirt and quickly covered her mouth.

"I'm not hurt," Billy grumbled hearing the gasping noise she had made. He turned off the faucet and pulled his shirt over his head. "Anything happen?" Celes lowered her hands watching him as he tossed the shirt to the floor. She was still quiet, trying to get a sense of what state of mind he was in. Billy turned towards her, his eyebrows raised. "Did anything happen tonight?" he asked again clearly annoyed.

"No," she replied. "Only me freaking out every second someone drove by or when I heard a noise. But no, nothing happened." Her tone was flat as she shut the door behind her. It had taken hours to get Savannah to go to sleep. Savannah had gotten attached to Joe over the last months, and trying to explain to her that he was no longer with them, was one of the hardest things she had to do. "Are you leaving again?" she asked walking over to the shower and turned it on.

"No," he said leaning against the counter watching her.

"I'm going to take a quick shower," she said glancing over her shoulder. "I'll be in bed in a minute." Pulling off the rest of her clothes, she stepped inside the shower, pushing the curtain back. The hot water fell on her as she closed her eyes, the steam rising. This was what she needed all day long. A moment alone, a quick second to clear her head. She jumped feeling a hand griping her shoulder.

"You really think I wouldn't come in here?" Billy whispered in ear sending chills through her body. Automatically she leaned into him, relieved to have him this close to her again. His hands sliding down her body until they reached her waist, his body felt hot against hers, his lips pressing against her shoulders. The numbing feeling she had felt all day slowly slipping away. Besides everything else that had happened, there had been one thought that stuck out more than the others. The fact that she had stopped Billy from taking care of Marcus in the first place.

"I'm not going to stop you," she said turning around and staring up at him, his hands still wrapped around her. The water was splashing over the both of them, droplets sliding down his chest. "I want this problem gone." The words were coming out of her mouth so quick. "I want _him _out of our lives for good." Billy stared down at her intensely almost as if he heard her wrong. Just one day of being locked up in the house, having to worry constantly that at any moment Marcus would come in was something she couldn't handle. Knowing what had to be done made her stomach turn, but there was no other way. It wasn't like Billy needed or even wanted her permission to do it, she knew that. Billy pushed a few strands of hair out of her face as she laid her head down on his chest. His heart beat was rapid making her feel every thump. They didn't say another word, just let the water wash over them, scolding their bodies, both of their minds racing of what was going to happen next.

—

The seconds that turned into minutes that turned into hours were passing by slowly for Celes. Five days later and she was still stuck in the house flinching every time she heard a noise. Not being able to sleep or being able to eat. Every time she did, she found herself racing for the bathroom, getting sick. Tensions were high there, all of them wanting to get out. It never bothered them before having to be stuck in there, but now that they knew they couldn't leave, it was making everyone stir crazy. Billy's face grew more and more twisted every night when he walked into the door. His voice was always harsh, his mood never lightening, heavy bags hanging below his eyes. Billy had went to Tina trying to get more information out of her. Even though he thought she might be hiding something, and used his threats, he realized the only thing she knew was what she had already told Sarah. His crew was out, raising hell trying to get answers, but no one had them. Even Detective Wallis came prying around. She had given her apologies of Marcus getting out. She had tried everything, thrown every crime that he was responsible for and was a suspect too, but nothing had worked. Marcus had made the winning deal, and now he was free to roam the streets again. She sparked questions about Joe's death, warning them about the war they were starting. But the only answer she got was the door slammed harshly in her face.

"Billy," Celes whispered reaching over Savannah who was sleeping in between them and nudged him. He stirred a little, his hand reaching up and rubbing his face, but he was still snoring lightly. "Billy wake up," she hissed smacking his arm. His eyes popped wide open, immediately he shot up in bed, jerking the gun out of the night stand drawer, and spun around.

"What is it?" he asked loudly. Celes quicky clamped her hand over his mouth as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Put the damn gun away," she said slowly taking her hand off his mouth. Even with the streetlights peaking through the blinds she could see the pissed off look on his face. "I didn't hear anything, I just need to talk to you." He shook his head blowing out a breath. Sleeping had become a luxury now. Most nights he laid wide awake, his mind in over drive. If he was lucky, like tonight, he would be able to fall asleep, squeezing in a couple hours before he went out again.

"About what?" he grumbled placing the gun back in the drawer.

"I can't stay in this house anymore," her voice still low. He let out a huff, slamming his body back down on the bed. "I talked to Evie and Brayden, and we're thinking about going back home for a while."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He still wasn't completely awake yet, her words sounding like gibberish. Celes laid her head back down on her pillow telling him what they had discussed earlier. The four of them would go back to their hometown, staying with Brayden's father until Marcus was found. The words were even harder to say, watching his eyes staring back at her. She didn't want to leave him, not at a time like this. Even though he wouldn't show it, she knew he needed her there. But as the days kept going by, it was getting more dangerous, and she had to think of Savannah first.

"When?" Billy asked feeling her fingers intertwine with his.

"Tomorrow," she said lightly. He didn't want her to leave, for all he knew Marcus could be watching. Somehow finding out where they had gone. But he had already lost his brother, leaving him with no other choice but to let her go.

—

"Memorial service is only another hundred," the man at the desk said the next day at the funeral parlor. Billy stood across the room, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He was still wearing Joe's jacket. His eyes glistening and bloodshot red. This moment, standing here, having to actual make plans for his dead brother was making everything more surreal.

"He doesn't need a service," Billy said his mouth opening wide. "Just burn him." The man behind the counter glanced around nervously.

"How about you respect the bereaved's wishes or I'm burning you too," Bodie said grabbing the man's shirt and flicking his lighter. The glow burned against the man's face as Spink leaned his closer, his eyes cold.

"We'll make sure you get a service," he said. The man nodded his head quickly, his fingers going over his calculator.

"Cremation and disposal. Seven hundred." Billy reached into his pocket, yanking out his wallet, his face tensing up.

"_Look_," he yelled out the cigarette still in his mouth. "You see this wallet right here? This wallet's got two hundred in it." His hands rustled with the wallet, ripping out the money. "And this two hundred takes care of my boy!" The crumpled up money flung across the room towards the man.

"Two hundred. Well..." he sighed knowing that this was all he was going to get. "We're sorry for you loss." Bodie shoved him back, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, I bet you are," he said walking towards Billy. He patted his shoulder nudging his head towards the door. Everyone was taking shifts watching over Billy's house. The rest of them were all there, running in a pack. They spilled out into the sidewalk, as Billy popped his neck. A car was passing by as he slowly looked over, seeing Bones's head dipped down, his face aggressive as he whipped the car into the parking lot. Billy stopped, his head titled back. He wasn't in the mood for his shit right now. Bones hadn't even said one word when Billy had told him the news of Joe's death. Just told him to get his ass down to the underpass and make his money. Bones practically kicked open his door, lurching towards the crowd of men that all stood out on the sidewalk.

"_What the fuck_," he bellowed, storming right up to Billy. Billy sniffed, his lips pursed as he stared at his father. "Are we all doing here? Maybe somebody's gonna tell me when you girls are planning to put a few minutes in on the perfectly good corner I gave you, huh?" He scanned over the men, most of their eyes not even meeting his. He could almost smell the fear on them. "Listen to me, listen to me. When you work for me, you fuckin' _work_ for me. You don't in-and-out. You don't fuckin' half-ass, you fuckin' pay me! _I_ say when you're done! And when I say that, one of you leaves the little shit hole you live in, after your morning needle on a pretty day. And you wake up bleeding to death in the trunk of my car, okay? Cause when you're with me, _I'm_ your fuckin'_ life_ and your fuckin' _death_! I'm the fuckin' world on a cracker!" His voice boomed out, spit flying out of his mouth. "So, which one of you boys is gonna bleed to death in my trunk, huh?" He took one step further, sticking his chin out as he stared at Billy. "Will it be you Billy boy? Gang lord. Fuckin' father figure." His mouth curled, the piece of gum he was chewing spitting out of his mouth hitting Billy's chest. Billy looked down at it, his face grim, as he looked back up. "Huh?" He was challenging him now, daring him to speak up. Billy didn't say a word, only wanting to get past this rant, and move on with his day. He didn't give a shit about making money right now. Slipping up with Bones would lead to more things getting in the way. "Whatever you little fucks think is important," Bones snapped pointing to his head. "Ain't important. So stop it. Stop it right now! You're good boys." He reached up bringing Billy's head down, kissing his forehead. "Buckle down for me." He turned around, his chain swinging as he headed towards his car.

"They're burnin' Joe," Billy called out, his hand flying up in the air. He didn't even know why he was telling him this. Bones never gave a damn. "If you're interested." Bones turned around his face still as stern as before.

"Well he's the lucky one." Billy's head tilted down, his eyes glaring, as Bones turned around getting back into this car. They all stood still, watching as the car drove past, finally disappeared out of sight.

—

"Mommy!" Savannah whined jumping up and down in place. "I don't want to go to grandpa's house! I want to go to school!" Celes sighed grabbing clothes out of the dresser drawer and throwing them on the bed. They were suppose to leave in an hour, but between the fits, chaos, and trying to sneak in at least some alone time with Billy before he went back out, everything had slipped away. Now she still had to pack up all of her daughter's things. Savannah huffed throwing herself on the floor kicking her feet in the air. "I won't go! I won't go!" Celes let out a groan running her hands through her hair while Savannah continued to shriek.

"_Savannah_," Billy's voice barked in the doorway making Celes jump. She hadn't even realized he had came back home. "Get off the floor!" Savannah's shrieking stopped immediately as she looked over at him, her face twisted, eyes narrowing at him.

"_No_," she said then started to kick her feet again her little eyes glaring at him.

"Get. Off. The. Floor." Billy said through clenched teeth.

"No! No! No!" she shrieked pounding her hands against the floor. Billy pushed himself from the doorway coming towards her as Celes jumped in. She knew Billy wouldn't hurt her, but the way his temper was, scaring the hell out of her wasn't going to help things.

"Savannah Lynne," Celes said reaching down and pulling her daughter off the floor. "You better knock this off right now or-" Savannah ripped herself away from her mother, arms crossed, as she started to stomp away. Celes shook her head, she was too tired now to even get onto her own daughter. Billy was staring down at Savannah as she stomped by then quickly stopped, tilting her head up.

"I don't like you anymore," she said sticking out her tongue and darting out of the room. Billy threw his hands up in the air and let out a deep growl.

"She didn't mean that," Celes said softly as Billy sat down on the edge of the bed. He shoved his head down in his hands letting out an aggravating sigh. Celes walked over to him, placing her hands down on his shoulders as he leaned into her. "She's just a kid Billy, she doesn't understand what-"

"I fuckin' got it Celes, no need to point it out," Billy snapped then shook his head. He could feel her pulling herself away as he quickly latched onto her, brining her down to his lap. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear. She turned her head, out of all the fits he had thrown this week, out of all his actions of anger, this was the first time he had apologized. Leaning her head down, she kissed his lips, feeling his mouth open as his hand cupped the back of her neck. The loud sound of his cell phone ringing made their passionate kiss stop short. Grumbling under his breath, Billy ripped out the phone.

"What?" he snapped feeling Celes brushing her lips against his neck.

"Fuckin' good news Billy!" Heco's loud voice boomed through the phone. Celes stopped kissing his neck, staring down at the phone with wide eyes. "Spink ran into some dudes that think they have a good idea where Marcus's bitch ass has been hiding. Of course it took some force to get it out of them-"

"Where is he?" Billy snapped not giving a damn about how they got the information.

"Spink's on his way to the bar. His phone was cuttin' out, but we're all-"

"I'll be there in a minute," he said snapping the phone shut and shoving it back in his pocket. He jumped up, Celes stumbling as she gripped onto him trying not to fall, feeling his arms wrap around him.

"You found him?" she gasped. Billy cupped her face, smashing his lips against her's. The kiss didn't last long, knowing he had to get to the bar right away.

"You still need to leave," Billy said to her. "Jamie and Dog are going to follow you, make sure nothing happens. Okay?" She nodded her head as he broke free of her walking out of the room. "Bodie!" he shouted pounding his fist on the door as the door flew open, Bodie and Evie both standing at the doorway. "We got news, let's go!" Celes was still standing in shock watching Billy talk in the hallway. Relief. It was something she had been wanting to feel for so long, and finally for a split second, she felt it rushing over her. Bodie was stepping out into the hallway now when Evie reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into one more kiss.

"I'll be picking you up soon babe," Bodie said.

"If you're lucky," Evie grumbled as he shook his head giving her one more kiss.

Billy was already in the living room now, his mind racing as he felt the small tug on his jeans. He looked down, Savannah peering up at him.

"I'm sorry Billy," she mumbled. A smile cracked on his face as he knelt down feeling her tiny arms wrap around his neck. "I still like you." He grunted giving her a hug and quick kiss on the top of her head before he stood up seeing Bodie walking into the living room with Celes and Evie right behind him. Celes ran to him wrapping her arms around him one more time and giving him a long kiss.

"I love you," Billy whispered.

"Come back to me," she said sternly. He nodded his head turning around when she grabbed his shirt, pulling him in for one more kiss. Who knew if this was going to be her last. "I love you," she said then stood back, Savannah wrapping her hands around her leg, watching Billy and Bodie walk out the door. And praying it wouldn't be the last time she saw them.

—

"Are you two ready yet?" Brayden called out from the living room holding a very sleepy Savannah. It was already after nine o'clock, and they were suppose to leave an hour ago. Evie and Celes appeared in the hallway, their bags thrown over their shoulders. "Finally!"

"Oh shut up mullet," Evie grumbled walking past him as Celes let out a little laugh. The four of them walked out of the house, Celes locking the door behind her as they walked towards Evie's vehicle. Dog and Jamie were leaning against their car, both relieved that they were finally leaving. They didn't want to be the ones to have to chauffeur, but Billy left them no other choice. Throwing their stuff into the car, Brayden gave them a quick nod, signaling them they were ready to go. Celes got into the back seat, strapping Savannah in.

"Mommy," Savannah said suddenly awake. "Mommy where's Molly Dolly? We can't leave her in the house! She'll get scared!"

"Honey, you haven't even played with that doll in months," Celes said in a tired voice.

"Mommy," Savannah whined loudly. Grumbling under her breath, she told Evie and Brayden she'd be right back. Jogging up to the stairs she quickly put the key into the lock and turned it. The house was dark now as she ran through it heading straight for Savannah's room. She flicked on the lights, scanning the room for the doll. Throwing toys to the side, she could hear Evie's horn blaring as she got on her knees and looked under the bed. The ragged doll was only a few feet away as she squirmed and finally grabbed onto it. Pushing her hand on the bed, she pulled herself up, the doll in hand, as she turned off the light and stepped out into the hallway. _Beep! Beep! Beep! _

"Jesus Evie, I'm coming!" she yelled out knowing that the only person that heard her words were herself. She was halfway down the hallway, heading towards the living room when she stopped. She couldn't quit explain it, the sense that she suddenly got, but it felt like she was being watched. The hair on her neck was standing up, shaking feeling a chill run through her. Quickly she flicked on the lights, glancing around, but saw nothing. "Stop being so paranoid," she mumbled shaking her head knowing that it was the stress that was getting to her. She heard the horn beep again as she flicked off the lights. Walking through the living room she reached out to grab the door when suddenly she flung back. A hand clasped around her mouth muffling the shrilling scream she had let out. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, her whole body shaking like a leaf, as she felt the tip of something sharp poke her skin.

"Miss me baby?" Marcus's voice hissed in her ear. She let out another muffled cry, tears swelling her in her eyes feeling the knife press against her throat. His breath was on fire as he pressed his lips against the side of her face, making her choke out another cry. "Because I sure missed you Celes."


	25. The Fight for a Life

1So after posting the last chapter, I thought I would be able to update a couple days later, but then that lil jerkface called writer's block decided to grace me with it's presence. Finally I got past it, and hopefully you'll like this chapter! Thanks a million and then some for everyone that has left reviews and sent me pm's. You guys rock! And as always, tell me what you think!! :)

**Chapter 25: The Fight for a Life**

"Ssshh," Marcus whispered heading towards the back door of the house. "Wouldn't want to alarm anybody outside." Celes let out a cry, the blade pressing against her neck as they both stumbled out onto the deck, him dragging her down the steps, and across the back lawn. This had been the plan all along. A plan he had been stewing over for the past five months since she had gotten him locked up. Even behind the jail house walls, tall fences, news was always flowing through there. Quickly he learned that Billy had taken over his territory and his buisness. That hadn't set too kindly with Marcus at all. No one was going to take what was his, and he knew that he had to get out. So when his new cell mate, a tweaker on the come down had started jabbering his jaws off about all the crimes he knew, Marcus listened. Once he heard the word of the mayor's family murders, a light bulb flashed in his head. He had the golden ticket to get out, and that's exactly what he had done. The first thing he had planned to do to put his revenge in action was taking out Joe. That had been easy. Hiring a couple of low gang bangers, that were more than eager to earn a measly bill, helped him keep watch on Joe. He didn't think it would only take a day to do it, but when opportunity knocks like that, you have to take it. Knowing that Billy was going to be hunting him down like an animal, he laid low. Letting a week go by without his name or his face ever popping up. Billy's own rage had made him stupid though, because he had been watching. Lurking in the shadows, knowing that no one besides Billy and his boys left the house. That's one thing he could rely on, Billy's anger taking full control of his rational thoughts. His plan almost fell through though when he saw Celes and everyone pile out into their vehicles, Billy's two men waiting for them outside. He thought he would have had to run the car off the road, not really caring who he hurt in the process. But then she had ran back inside, all alone, which put his second plan of revenge now into full fledge action. After he was done with her, the next step was killing Billy.

Celes was trying to slow his pace, but she knew better to start struggling hard with him, knowing that he was crazy enough to end her life right then and there. She had been lucky before to get away from Marcus's grasps, but being with Billy she knew the cold hearted feeling of wanting to go after someone that had crossed you. In this case, it was her. Trying to keep herself calm, she kept thinking of her daughter. How she had to come up with some plan to get out of this. There was no way in hell Marcus was going to take her away from her daughter's life. Her whole body was shaking, her heart pounding so hard she could hear it echoing through her head.

"Don't worry baby," Marcus pressed as they made their way through the shadows of the backyards. She hadn't noticed until they were under the faint lighting of street lamps that Marcus had been wearing a black ski mask. "I'm going to take real good care of you," he whispered letting out a chuckle. "At least for a while." Celes eyes filled up again, gallons of water pouring down her face. Think Celes, think, she thought to herself. She could see Marcus's black Cutless up ahead on the corner of the street and could hear the faint sound of Evie's horn still blaring. If she wanted to get away this would be her only chance. Her body relaxed a little, her eyes darting towards the ground watching his footsteps. His stride left just enough room for her to be able to slip her foot in. They were getting closer to the car now, maybe fifteen feet away when she sucked in a deep breath knowing it was now or never. Quickly she swung her leg up, making his next step stumble, his grip on her loosen as she slammed her elbows into him as hard as she could. He lost his balance as she gave one more harsh shove, and broke free. Her legs felt like cement, but she was running, her mouth open wide to let out scream when she felt herself falling towards the ground. Her face smashed into the wet grass, letting out groan.

"You dumb fuckin' bitch," Marcus spat grabbing her by the back of hair and pulling her off the ground. She let out a cry, his arm wrapping so tight around her waist, pressing the blade against her skin. "You listen to me," he hissed flinging them both into the view of his car. "You see my car there? I got three of my fuckin' men in there waiting. And if you're not a good little girl," he nuzzled his mouth against her ear. "I'll make sure you watch them kill off each and everyone at your house. Including _Savannah_." Her whole body started to shake violently as his fingers wrapped around her hair giving it a hard yank. "Are we clear now Celes?" She nodded her head quickly, squeezing her eyes shut. She would do anything he wanted her to do as long as it meant that Savannah could be safe. Then again, she didn't even know how to trust the words coming out of her mouth. For all she knew, some of his men could be at the house right now. "Let me hear you say it." She hesitated making him yank on her hair one more time. "Say it!"

"Yes," she whispered. He pressed his wet lips against her cheek making her whimper. She felt her stomach start to turn, like she was about to throw up.

"That's my girl," he said smirking as he hauled them both off to his car. The backdoor ripped open, her body flying in smacking into another man that was sitting back there. He had a black ski mask on as he grabbed her, pressing a gun to her head. Marcus slid in next to her, slamming the door hard behind him. He ripped his mask off his face tossing it to the floorboard.

"Let's go," Marcus ordered. "Make sure you drive by the house, I want these fuckers to know I mean buisness."

--

"What the hell is taking her so long?" Evie yelled slamming her hand back down on the horn. She wasn't one to get nervous, but her nerves were on the frenzy now because of Marcus. Once they were out on the road, leaving the city limits of Boston, she knew half of her would be at ease.

"Will you just chill out?" Brayden grumbled. She made a hhmmp noise and shot him a glare.

"Well _excuse me _if I don't feel like getting attacked by some psycho gang leader-" Brayden quickly clamped his hand over her mouth and glanced back at Savannah. Her eyes were drooping, head swaying as she was trying to fight off sleep. Evie slammed her hand back down on the horn beyond irritated now. Brayden cursed under his breath and ran his hands through his thick hair. "I'm going in there," she said ripping open the car door and jogging up towards the stood. Shoving open the front door she stepped in only seeing complete darkness. Why hadn't Celes turned a light on?

"Celes?" she called out reaching over and hitting the switch. Taking a few more steps, she stopped, her stomach suddenly feeling uneasy. "Celes!" she yelled loudly. Best friend's intuition, the same feeling you'd have when you knew something was wrong with your own flesh and blood was kicking in high gear. About ready to bust out in a jog towards the hallway, something made her stop. Something that sent goose bumps across her arms as she slowly looked over at the back door. It was slightly open, the gold chain lock still swinging, as she let out a shrilling scream.

"No! No!" Evie screamed running towards the front door. This couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening. "Marcus has her!" she screamed jumping off the front stoop and running off towards the side of the house. The thought of not even having a weapon on her, any sense of protection didn't even cross her mind. "He has her!" she screamed again. Dog and Jamie were already halfway across the lawn, following Evie's shadow with their guns raised. Brayden's face grew pale as he quickly got out of the car, running around the front and then skidded to a stop. He slammed his hands down knowing that he couldn't leave Savannah by herself. His heart was pounding as he walked to the end of the drive glancing around the street.

"Hey!" Brayden called out seeing a car with no headlights speeding down the street. "He's here! He's right fuckin' here!" Jamie and Dog quickly turned around, charging across the lawn spotting Marcus's car, and started firing off shots towards it. The car swerved, tires squealing against the asphalt and sped off down the road.

"Fuck!" Dog yelled. Evie slammed her hands into Jamie's back making him stumble forward.

"Are you crazy?!" she shouted. "You could have killed her!" He stood there for a second, his face growing red. "What the hell are you standing around here for? Go after him!"

"Yo Brayden, you got a gun?" Dog called out already at the driver's side door. Brayden nodded his head as Jamie ran around getting into the car. "Good. Stay put." The tires sped around so fast, making a loud squealing affect as they jerked forward chasing after them. Evie latched onto Brayden, a sob escaping her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her.

"She's going to be fine," Brayden said in a firm voice. His eyes were wide, face flushed red as he cradle Evie.

"Where's mommy?" a tiny voice asked behind them as they both quickly turned around seeing Savannah standing a few feet away. Tears flew down Evie's cheeks as she broke away from Brayden, scooping Savannah up.

"I'm calling the cops," Evie said walking as fast as she could towards the house.

"Evie, I don't think-"

"I don't give a shit Brayden," Evie said her heart pounding. At any moment she knew she was going to pass out. "I'm not leaving this up to Billy. Look what good he's done so far." Brayden shook his head, trying to gather himself as Evie took Savannah inside the house with her. It had been a long time since Brayden had said a prayer. Ever since his brother had died, his relationship with the big man upstairs had been nonexistent. But he closed his eyes, his head tilted towards the sky, as the words in his mind were screaming for someone to hear them.

—

Billy shook his head, letting out a deep growl. He sniffed, placing the cigarette to his lips and inhaled. Being impatient was second nature to him, and he was about ready to rip Heco's head off if he didn't get to the point yet. Noticing the glare coming from Billy's eyes, Heco sped up the information that he was told.

"Down by the query, ya remember? That place we use party at when we was kids. That's where they said Marcus was setting up shop," Heco said nodding his head with confidence. Billy pushed himself up off the table, nodding his head as his men stood up.

"Then let's fuckin' go," he said ripping the cigarette out of his mouth. He wanted this to end fast. Even with Celes already safely out on the road, his nerves were still uneasy. They wouldn't ease up until he was standing over Marcus's cold dead body.

"Yo Billy!" Sammy called from the bar. "You got a phone call." Billy was adjusting the collar on his coat when he looked up. Who would be calling him at the bar? "They said it was important," Sammy added instantly making Billy's eyebrows narrow. Stalking towards the hallway, he ripped out of his cell phone seeing he didn't have any miss calls. He grabbed the phone that was dangling from the cord and placed it to his ear. Taking a drag from his cigarette he could hear a muffle sound on the other end.

"Yeah?" Billy asked in an irritated voice. He could hear a slight chuckle on the other end. "Who is this?" He could hear another muffle making his jaw start to clench. He didn't have time for this shit. "Listen here motherfucker, tell me what you-"

"Now is that a way to talk to a dear old friend Billy?" a voice asked as Billy's eyes widened, smoke escaping his lips. His fingers wrapped tightly around the phone.

"Marcus you motherfucker, you're dead! You hear me? Fuckin' dead!"

"Oh I hear ya Billy boy," Marcus said in a taunting voice. "Loud and fuckin' crystal clear. Did you really think after the shit you pulled I wouldn't come after some fuckin' family time?"

"You're at the end of my fuckin' sewer now," Billy seethed. "I say who lives, and I say who dies!" His mouth was twisted, spitting flying out. He didn't even see Bodie stepping up towards him, his eyebrows raised wondering what was going on. He had heard Billy shouting from the bar. "And you better get that through your fuckin' skull, because there are no more warnings! I'm coming after you and I'm going to put a bullet through that fuckin' head of yours!"

"You sure about that?" The tone of his voice was making Billy's blood start to boil. He had a lot of nerve calling him up like this. "Because if I were you, I wouldn't be so fuckin' sure of that." Billy's mouth opened, his lips pursed about to say something when he heard it. A loud shrilling scream, and right away he knew it belonged to Celes.

"Billy!" her voice cried out as he heard a loud smack noise.

"You lay one fuckin' hand on her and I swear-" _Pop!_ The gunshot rang through his ears. Billy jerked the phone away from his ear, his eyes growing wide. Placing the phone back to his ear, he could only hear silence. "Marcus!" Billy barked.

"You've been sentenced," Marcus spat before the phone went dead. Violently Billy slammed the phone back down on the receiver again and again. How the hell did Marcus have her? If he had her, what about everyone else? What about Savannah? The worst part, the part that was making his stomach twist in knots was not knowing if she was even still alive That gun shot could have just been a warning sign. His gut was telling him she was still alive, but his mind was racing so fast, he wasn't even for sure what to think. He should have never left it to Dog and Jamie to make sure she got there okay. No, he should have been the one that took her back to her hometown. Been with her and Savannah on that trip, knowing beyond a doubt that they were out of harms way. Now she might be dead.

"Billy man," he heard someone yell out as he turned away to see Jamie and Dog standing a few feet away from Bodie. Billy's eyes grew wild as he charged towards them grabbing Dog by his shirt and slamming him against the wall.

"How the fuck did he get her!" he screamed. Reaching around his back he pulled out his gun ready to kill them both for letting Celes slip away like that. "Who else does he have?"

"Whatcha mean who else?" Bodie spoke up. "What the fuck happened?" Quickly Dog spoke up, telling them what had happened back at the house. He knew that Billy was going to be madder than hell at them. They had tried to chase after Marcus, firing off shots, a few bullets flying in back their direction. Not being able to see where Celes was at in the car, each shot they fired off they hoped didn't aim at her. During their chase, Marcus had sped out in the middle of traffic, and if Dog wouldn't have stopped the car, Jamie and him both would be plastered against the a semi that had just crossed in front of them. By the time the street had cleared, the black Cutless was gone.

Billy drew in deep breaths trying to once again control himself. Irrational thinking had gotten him into this mess, dragging his family along with it. He took a few steps away, turning his back from his boys as he closed his eyes, his mind racing to think of a plan. He had to think fast, knowing that Marcus wasn't going to waste any time, especially after what he had done to his brother. There had to be some way to get to her before Marcus took another person away from him.

—

Celes whimpered, tears flowing over one Marcus's hand as she heard the gun shot go off. Marcus voice was harsh, sending a knife through her. He hung up his cell phone, his crazed eyes falling over her making chills run down her spine. She flung herself away as far away as she could from him. She knew she was stuck in the room with him, but even if she was only a few feet away, it made her feel a tiny bit safe.

When the gun shots had taken place in the car, her head had been ducked down, and stayed there. She was trying to keep her mind calm, hoping that somehow Jamie and Dog would be able to get the car stopped. That this horrible nightmare would end, and that she would be able to see her daughter again. When she heard the driver let out a chuckle, she knew that all hope was gone. Once the car had finally stopped and she was able to look around, she was more lost than ever. There was a large brick building surrounded by complete darkness. She could feel the wind blowing across her face, the smell of sea salt. Before she could even get a good look around, a hand clamped down over her eyes. Quickly she had been dragged into the building, her voice finally able to let out a loud scream. Marcus's grip on her was so tight she thought bones would start to break.

"Scream all you want," Marcus shouted out. "No one is going to hear you in here." Their footsteps were echoing throughout the building, his hand slipping away from her eyes. He kicked open a door, tossing her into the room, where she flew towards the hard concrete floor. "Wait out here," Marcus ordered the other three men. "I'm going to need some alone time with this bitch." Celes scrambled to her feet, backing up quickly through the room until she felt herself hit the wall that was behind her.

"What are you going to do to me?" her asked. Her voice was cracking making Marcus let out a smirk. Marcus stalked towards her reaching out and grabbed her chin.

"First," he said cooly. "We're going to make a phone call. Then after that," he licked his lips, his hand grazing up the side of her body. "Well, you'll just have to see."

Now the phone call was over with, and Celes was cringing not knowing what Marcus was going to do next. The gun shot had clearly been to make Billy think she was dead. Thankfully she was still alive, but she didn't know for how much longer.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed already seeing him stalk towards her. He gave her a disgusting smirk as he stopped, placing his gun on top the table. She eyed it, knowing that somehow she had to get it. "I mean it Marcus, stay away from me or-"

"Or you'll what?" he taunted. "You think Billy is going to save you? Let me give you a fuckin' news flash, he ain't. He doesn't even know where the fuck you are. The only way he's going to find you is when I dump your dead body on his front fuckin' doorstep." He was standing in front of her now watching her chest quickly fall up and down. "And you think I'm scared of what you're going to do to me?" He let out a sickening chuckle before shoving her hard against the wall. Grabbing her arms he threw them up, holding them firmly against the wall, as he pressed his body against her's. "Five months is a long time to be locked up Celes. Sitting behind iron bars," his lips pressed lightly against her's as she squirmed. "Only allowed out for three hours a day. Makes a man a little stir crazy." One hand dropped from her wrist as he brought it down, slowly going over her chest. "And I thought about you Celes," his voice was lower now. "Oh I thought about you each and every night."

"Get off of me," she whimpered. But he didn't stop, his hand tearing under her shirt, his mouth placed on her forcing her mouth open. Bile was rising in her throat, her vision blurring through the tears. She could feel his hands undoing the button of her jeans, his body pressed hard against her's, not leaving any breathing room.

"C'mon Celes," he breathed. "Just relax, I promise you're going to enjoy it. Just like you did all those other times. Don't you remember how much you loved this?" Her vision started to come back, her anger starting to rise. She wasn't going to let him rape her, no way in hell she was going to give him that sick satisfaction, she would die before that happened. His lips crashed onto her's, one hand wrapped around the back of her neck while the other hand was tugging on her jeans. Quickly she sunk her teeth down hard on his tongue. Marcus let out a yelp as she brought up her curled fist and punched him as hard as she could in the side of the head. He jerked away from her, as she took off in a dead set run towards the table. Her body slammed into the edge of it as she reached out snatching the gun. Flinging herself around she swung her arm out, her finger curled on the trigger.

—

The matching mustangs flew around the corner, coming to a halt in front of an old warehouse building. Billy flew out of the car, not even caring who was behind him as he ran towards the entrance. Marcus's car wasn't there, but that wasn't stopping him.

"Dog! Spink!" Billy hissed behind him. "Get your ugly asses up those stairs. Baggy! Heco! Jamie, spread out, cover every fuckin' floor." He glanced over at Bodie nodding his head.

"I'll cover ya," Bodie said as they charged through the place. An eerie silence was filling the building as the men quickly spread out, going into each room, each floor. Trying to listen for any surprises, trying to hear if Celes could give out a cry. Panic was setting in, she had to be somewhere in here. Marcus had chosen a ghost part of town to hide out. If he wanted to be discreet about things, this was the only place to be. With each step, his gut was twisting, knowing something wasn't right.

"Dog they ain't here," Bodie said after what seemed like an hour of frantic searching. "This ain't the place." Billy turned slamming his hands onto the wall, his head tilted down as he let out a growl. Pushing himself off the wall, he placed his gun back into his waistband as he charged past him, knocking Heco and Baggy who were standing a few feet away over. Heco cursed throwing his hands up. He was sure his information was right, but then again he wasn't exactly sober when he had received it. The men started to pour out of the building now, trying to think up a new game plan. Billy was sitting in the passenger seat, his hands drumming against the window as he pulled his cell phone out.

"Hello," he heard Brayden say.

"You get any phone calls?" Billy asked hoping in a sense that maybe Marcus had called them too. Maybe spotting off and leaving some sort of idea of where he was. He knew it was far fetched, and as Brayden told him no, he let out a growl. He could hear Evie's mouth running in the background as Brayden tried to say something else.

"Billy!" Evie's voice shouted. "You better find her, or I swear to God I'm going to-"

"I'm going to fuckin' find here Evie," Billy said drawing in a deep breath. "Is Savannah okay?"

"What the fuck do you care?" Evie spat before he heard another rustle and Brayden's voice come on the other end.

"Make sure everyone stays put. If you think something is up, you call me," Billy ordered.

"All right, but," there was hesitation in his voice making Billy raise his eyebrows. "We got a problem here," Brayden said in a low voice. Billy's eyes widened as he adjusted himself in his seat. What the hell else could be going on? "Evie called the cops. They're here right now." Billy could hear voices being raised on the other end, someone demanding that Brayden hand over the phone, as he cursed under his breath.

"Billy Darley?" a woman's voice came onto the line. "Is this Billy Darley?" Billy's nostrils started to flare. After he found Celes, he was going to knock the shit out of Brayden for letting Evie call the cops. "This is Detective Wallis, and I want you to listen very careful to me Mr. Darley. You wanted your retribution by killing off a bunch of rival gang members, and what has that brought you? Huh?" Billy was fuming now grabbing the cigarette pack from out of his pants and placing one in his mouth. Who the hell did this bitch think she was? "Everyone thinks they're right in a war. Everybody still dies in the end. You are never going to win this, Mr. Darley. Nobody is. This thing stops right now. And you let us take care of this before a little girl loses her mother because of your own personal vengeance."

"Leave it up to you?" Billy asked sternly. "Look what great of a fuckin' job the protectors of Boston have done. You need to remember Detective Wallis, _you _let him out. You let him walk on the streets and take my fuckin' family away from me. So I want you to think long and hard who's fuckin' fault this will be _if_ my little girl loses her mother." With that Billy slammed his phone shut chucking it towards the dash. Sucking down on his cigarette he glanced back at Heco about ready to bust him in the face.

"You better start drilling that fuckin' head of yours and rethink the information you got before I fuckin' shoot your ass right now!" Billy barked as Heco sunk back in his seat. "Where the fuck else would he be at?" The car grew silent, everyone rethinking the information that Heco got. A lightbulb went off in Bodie's head as he leaned over smacking Billy in the shoulder.

"The docks!" he blurted out. "There's an old factory there. Some of those B Street assholes use to sell down there until the cops busted it up. Cops are always all over the docks, trying to keep it clean for the tourists and shit."

"Then get to the fuckin' docks!" Billy yelled out giving one more hard glare towards Heco. Bodie's foot slammed onto the gas, weaving in and out of traffic, knowing that the old factory was the place. If it wasn't, then they were all out of options.

—

Marcus charged at her, his body slamming against her's, both of them wrestling for the gun. Her finger slipped down on the trigger, a single shot firing straight off into the ceiling.

"No!" she screamed slamming her elbow into the side of Marcus's face trying to get the gun back down. They were tearing into one another now, his strength overpower hers as he managed to rip the gun out of her hands. Before Celes could react, take off, or even let out a scream, Marcus grabbed her by the back of her hair and sent her head crashing down onto the table. Her skull slammed against it, sending shooting pains as she felt herself being flung towards the floor. Marcus stood above her as she cradle her head, sobs escaping her mouth.

Marcus wiped his mouth, his neck tightening as he reached down yanking her off the floor. She was going to pay dearly for this one. He slammed her body back up against the table, smacking his forehead against her's, his hot breath flowing across her face. He didn't think she would put up this much of a fight. Clearly he had underestimated her.

"You pull that shit again," he breathed out. "And I will make you pull this trigger your fucking self. And believe me, the target ain't gonna be on me." She gulped staring into his deranged eyes. He wiped his mouth again, his body rocking back and forth.

"You're not going to kill me," Celes stated not even knowing where this sudden urge of bravery was coming from.

"No?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Because if you wanted to kill me then you would have done it already." He glared at her, his fingers gripping around her shoulders making her wince. "So what's stopping you Marcus? Huh?" Her anger was shooting through the roof now. If he wanted her dead, then fine. But she wasn't going to spend another minute having to listen to his taunting voice or looking at his smug face. Since she had moved to Boston, her life had been turned around so much. If anything good happened it would come back to only smack her in the face. She had been pushed too much, and now she was passed her breaking point. "You still think in that sick fuckin' head of yours that I have a thing for you? Or maybe it's because you still have a thing for me. And you're just pissed off because I left you and went straight back to Billy. Who is a bigger man than you'll _ever _be!" His palm waled into the arm smacking her across the face. She snapped her head back, her eyes growing almost as wild as his. "You really think you're going to make it out alive? Even if you kill me Marcus, Billy isn't going to let you get to him! Don't you get it? You. Killed. Joe. You killed his brother and you broke the only fuse that was left in his head! And I promise you, he's going to make you pay for that! He's going to kill you!" Her mouth formed in an o shape as a wad of split came flying out of her mouth. Marcus stared at her, a blank expression on his face, as she smirked cooly at him. In a split second that look on his face was replaced with pure craziness as he ripped her away from the table chucking her across the room. She hit the floor, her body beyond numb as she pushed herself up. He was already standing over her, swiftly kicking her in the side, making her crumble to the ground again. Reaching down he pulled her up, one hand wrapped around her throat as they both slammed into the wall.

"I have to admit, you're half way smart," he said tapping the gun against her head. " Here I always thought you were just a hot lookin' broad with a nice rack." She wailed off her hand, smacking him in the face, but it didn't even seem to phase him. Quickly she reached down, digging her nails into his skin. "Because there is a reason why you aren't fuckin' dead yet. See, I've been thinkin' long and fuckin' hard about this. Killing Joe was nothing compared to what I wanted him to witness. So I made sure his boys got a tip of my whereabouts tonight. Because I want to see the look on Billy's fuckin' face when he sees the lights slowly go out in the eyes of his girl." He pressed the nose of the gun to her forehead as she started squirming trying anything to break free. "But _now_, since you're starting to become a real fuckin' pain in my ass, I'm suddenly having second thoughts."

There was a loud banging noise on the other side of the door as Marcus snapped his head back. The door slightly opened, one of his men walking in. Celes could see through the dim light that he had red hair, but that was the only thing she could tell.

"We got company," the guy said as Marcus dropped his hand from her neck and started backing up. Celes sucked in a deep breath and pushed her self off the wall. Marcus cracked his neck, giving her an evil smile, as he threw his hands out to the side.

"Sit tight Celes," he sneered. "Cause the show is just about to start." He walked out, slamming the door hard behind him. Celes let out a cry, pounding her hands against the wall. There were no windows, not even a hole, that would let her escape while she was in here alone. The only way out was through the front door, and she was hoping that the next time it opened, only Billy would be standing there.

Billy spotted the black Cutless from the road knowing that this was the place they were suppose to be at. They charged through, no orders barked out as they swarmed the place. A shot was fired at the end of the hallway as Bodie slammed up against a wall, firing off his own shots. Billy ducked, running around the wrap of the stairs and fired one shot into the side of the man's skull. Another shot ran through the catwalk, as Baggy started up the stairs, Spink right behind him, their guns started shooting off wildly.

Not even caring how many guys Marcus had, Billy was storming through, firing off shots up at the catwalk as he ran down a long hallway. There were three openings, all leading to more rooms, as Billy quickly spun around, spotting Bodie and Jamie right behind him. He loaded his gun, giving it a quick kiss before he stormed down the hallway "Not going to make a fool out of me motherfucker," he breathed out swinging his arm around as a bullet whizzed past him. He fired off a few rounds, hearing someone curse under their breath, jumping out of site. Even with the dim light, he knew, his gut telling him it was Marcus firing at him. A figure jumped out, Billy spotting the gun as he fired off another shot. The bullet pierced Marcus's hand, as he let out a scream, the gun falling down to the ground.

"Mother fucker!" Marcus yelled holding onto his hand.

"You're free from wondering how you gonna die now!" Billy shouted firing another shot that only grazed the side of Marcus's shoulder. "Cause you're about to meet your fuckin' maker!" Marcus jumped to his feet, his body slamming into a the door a few feet away from him. No way was Billy going to let him escape this time. Billy was barreling down the hallway now, Bodie right behind him. Billy's shoes skidded his arm out ready to shoot Marcus in the head like he had promised when he stopped. Celes was standing in the room, her hair mangled, his face white as a ghost with Marcus behind her, the blade pressed against her neck.

"Billy!" she screamed feeling somewhat relived that he was standing there.

"Put your fuckin' guns down or I will slit her fuckin' throat!" Marcus yelled shoving Celes forward. "Now dammit!" He pressed the blade against her throat making a tiny nick as she whimpered. Billy placed his hands up, the gun dangling by one finger. "Toss them on the ground!" Bodie was hesitating but finally tossed his forward. "Fine then Darley, have it your way." The knife started to dig again and Celes let out a scream. Billy tossed his gun forward, taking one step forward towards them.

"Get the fuck back!" Marcus shouted heading out towards the door with Celes. "I told you Darley, I fuckin' told you to not fuck with me! Now," he said releasing the knife from her throat. "Now you're going to know what it feels like to loose your family." Billy's face fell, his eyes bulging as he watched the knife in Marcus's hand plunged into the side of Celes's stomach. It was all happening so fast, but at the same time so slow, seeing her face cringe, a dazed look in her eyes. Baggy came running up behind the hallway, seeing a small pathway between Billy and Bodie and fire a shot right in between them, hitting Marcus in the shoulder. Marcus cursed, Billy and Bodie coming towards him now, as he flung Celes forward. Turning on his feet, he took off, daring down the other end of the hallway.

Everything happened so fast as Celes hit the ground. She winced feeling like she had just been punched in the stomach. When she titled her head up, she glanced down seeing all the blood that was starting to seep through her shirt. In an instant she realized what had happened. She had been stabbed. She could hear Billy shouting, his arms quickly wrapping around her, pulling her off the ground. The shock feeling was wearing off, her stomach growing cold. Sharp pains were shooting through her, her starting to twist. She was crying out in hysterical sobs as Billy ran through the building, not even knowing who of his boys was still alive or who of Marcus's boys were dead.

"Billy," she cried out feeling her body start to shake as Bodie ripped open the passenger door kicking the seat up. Billy pushed both of them in, Celes cradled in his arms as he put his hand over the knife wound in her stomach.

"Look at me babe, look at me," he said as she tried to keep her eyes open. The pain was consuming her, her breaths shortening. "Bodie! Fuckin' drive!" Billy screamed. The car took off down the streets tearing through as Billy kept shouting for Celes to keep her eyes open. It was getting harder now, and it didn't matter how much pressure his hand was putting on the wound, the blood wouldn't stop coming. Her bottom lip was quivering, her face turning pale as Billy placed his head down. "Celes, just keep your eyes open. We're almost there." Billy let out a growl knowing that they weren't even close to the hospital yet. "Bodie put your fuckin' foot on the gas!"

"Savannah," she whispered not even for sure if she had said the words out loud.

"She's safe," Billy said reassuring her. "All right? She's safe, and you're safe now. Just stay with me, okay?" Her body was starting to shake more violently under his arms as he tried to push her head up with his free hand. Baggy was turned around in the passenger seat ripping off his shirt and handed it over. Billy placed the shirt down on her stomach, tilting her head up and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you." Celes eyes fluttered as she was trying to fight the coldness that was creeping throughout her body. Marcus plan had worked all right. Billy was witnessing the light slowly start to fade out of her eyes. "No!" he shouted patting the side of her face trying to make her keep her eyes open. "Celes!" he screamed out seeing her eyes close shut. "Celes!" His words were faint and distant as she forced her eyes open again. "Don't you dare leave me," Billy said his voice cracking. "Just keep breathing." He could hear her gasping for air, trying to breathe. "That's it." He glanced up seeing the lit up cross on the other side of the road. She was trying to speak now, her voice cracking.

"Sshh," he told her not wanting to waste her energy. "You're going to be fine, you hear me?" She tried opening her mouth, to say it back to him, but the only thing she could do was let out a whimper.

"Turn there!" Baggy yelled. The car flew over the sidewalk, whipping into the drive of the emergency center. Baggy flew out of the car, pushing back the seat, helping Billy get Celes out of the car. Two nurses were leaned against the building, both gossiping with one another as they saw the black mustang come to a screeching halt.

"What's going on?" one of the nurses yelled jogging towards the car. She stopped seeing the tall bald man standing in front of her carrying a girl out of the car. "Shelly go get a gurney now!" The nurse started rambling on, asking a million questions of what had happened to her when three people pushing a gurney came flying out of the ER entrance doors. Billy's mouth hung open, not able to answer the nurse. The only thing he could do was stare down at Celes's limp body being placed on the gurney. Her eyes were closed tight and her chest wasn't moving anymore.


	26. Seize the Day

**I'm a little nervous, okay I'm beyond nervous even posting this chapter. I've always wanted to a writer, and this is the first time I have EVER finished a story, so this is like huge to me. And I have to give the BIGGEST THANKS for everyone that has left me a review, pm, and have still been keeping up with the story. I know I suck at updating but thank you thank you thank you for everyone's encouragement! It means sooo much to me!! A special thanks to MsHedlund who has seen this story basically from the beginning and has helped me so much with it. You are my muse chick!! I have to give complete credit to the flashback scene you will first read, it was all her!! So I'll quit rambling now, but please tell me what you think!!**

**Chapter 26: Seize the Day**

Billy's hands were on top of his head as he paced back and forth in the waiting room. His boots dragging back and forth against the white speckled tile. Bodie and Baggy were slumped in the orange plastic chairs, their eyes staring down at the ground. Nurses were rushing from room to room, doctors whizzing by with clipboards, scribbling down in them. Voices filling the air, people being called to rooms, doctors being paged. He didn't even feel like he was in the hospital anymore. Instead his mind kept replying the very last moment he had with her.

_He stared down at her, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. She gazed up at him, a smile spreading, as she tilted her head up and kissed his lips. The white sheet was draped across both of their bodies, his hand placed on the curve of her back. Pulling back from the kiss he gazed down at her again._

"_What?" she asked lightly with a tiny smirk on her face. He slightly smiled back at her as his eyes scanned her face. She was so beautiful, so perfect in every way. Her smile, her laugh, the way she showed nothing but love for her daughter. Even the way her eye twitched when she grew nervous. He could never understand how someone with such a pure heart could ever want to be with someone like him. And not just how they were at this moment. Not just sharing her bed, but her truly wanting to be with him. Sticking by him through all the hell that had been put between them. Her always caring for him, his thoughts, his worries, and his happiness._

_His fingers lightly touched her cheek as he brought his eyes up to her. He looked deeply into them, not wanting to lose this moment with her. He didn't feel like the Billy Darley everyone feared when he was with her. He felt like a man, a man with so much to live for. If he could stay like this, here with her, loving her, holding her, having her love him back - he would stay this way forever._

"_Do you love me?" he asked, his voice deep but soft. She smirked at him again, pulling her face to his. Their lips just barely touching as she looked into his eyes._

"_I've never loved anyone the way I love you," she whispered back, her eyes scanning his as he looked back at her. "Question is, do you love me?" She left her lips in front of his, waiting for him to answer._

"_I love you Celes," he said before he pushed his lips on hers. It was a deep meaningful kiss. The words he spoke meant more then she would ever know. He did love her, and he would do anything for her. He would die for her if that meant protecting her and the family that they had built together. _

Billy's happy memory was jolted from his mind when he felt a harsh shove hit his back. His head snapped around, his eyes wide, as he did a quick scan. For a moment, he had completely forgot that he was still standing in the waiting room, pacing back and forth. His eyes started to focus, the image of Celes staring back at him leaving his mind, as his eyes fell on Evie who was standing right in front of him. Mascara streaks covered her beat red face as she lurched forward slamming her hands into his chest.

"You selfish son of a bitch!" she screamed. Bodie jumped out of his chair, his arms wrapping around her, trying to pull her away from Billy. He knew his girl and his best friend better than anyone, and putting these two hotheads together would not have a good outcome. Evie wasn't having it, as she shoved him back, shooting a harsh glare. "Don't fucking touch me! Don't ever touch me again!" her voice screeched, tears forming in her eyes. Bodie took one step back, a shocked look painted across his face. Evie didn't care now, she didn't care about anything besides the obvious. Her head snapped back towards Billy's direction. Celes was her best friend, and she had always been there for her through thick and thin. Through all the good times, like when they would have slumber parties, gossiping over the guys living down the road, school prom, all of them. Then there were the times when things got bad for Celes at home with her mother. But she was there, every time, from the moment Celes found out she pregnant, from the delivery, and right when Keaton had died that tragic night. That's what best friends were suppose to do. Be there for one another, no matter what. She hadn't been there for Celes this time. Because she knew the moment Celes fell for Billy that it wasn't a good idea. Instead she didn't listen to her gut feeling, and now look what had happened. Billy's chest was heaving, his eyes dancing wildly as he stared down at her. But she wasn't intimated by that look on his face. "Tell me! Was it worth it! Was going after Marcus worth all of this? First Joe, and now you let him take her too!" Evie shoved him back again, making him stumble against the wall. He was a giant towering over her. "Answer me you piece of shit!" Her fists started pounding against his hard chest, tears pouring down her face. "Why did you let this happen!" She was sobbing now, her words becoming complete blubber. "You're fault," she choked out. "It's all _your_ fault!"

Billy's neck was tightening, veins popping out one by one on his neck. Reaching down he ceased Evie's wrist making the pounding on his chest stop. He stared down at her coolly, not knowing whether he wanted to rip her head off because of what she was doing or because every word of it was the truth.

"Where's my mommy?" a tiny voice whimpered as Evie and Billy both looked over seeing Brayden holding Savannah. "Is mommy sick?" Evie choked out a sob, Billy letting go of her wrist as she walked towards them. "Why are you crying Aunt Evie?" Savannah's yes were growing now as she glanced at everyone around the room. "Why were you hitting Billy?" But no one could answer the little girl's questions. "Uncle Brayden?" Savannah asked staring at him. Brayden swallowed hard, his eyes bloodshot red. How do you explain to a child what has happened? A child that has already lost one parent that she never got a chance to know. She was too young to have this much tragedy in her life. Brayden cleared his throat and used his free hand to wipe his eyes.

"Mommy had an accident," Brayden explained all eyes on him. Billy pushed himself off the wall studying Savannah's tiny face. Her bottom lip was starting to quiver, her bright blue eyes quickly filling with tears.

"Can I see her?" her tiny voice squeaked.

"Not right now sweetie," Evie said smoothing out her pony tail and pulling her out of Brayden's arms. She eased them both down on a plastic chair, a few spots down from the rest of the guys.

"When can I see her?"

"When the doctors tell us we can," Evie said trying to give her a smile. Savannah's chest started to rise as she squirmed in Evie's lap. "Savannah honey-"

"No!" Savannah yelled scrambling out of her lap and darting towards Billy. "I want to see my mommy right now!" Standing in front of Billy she looked up, her eyes pleading. "Billy, take me to my mommy!" Billy drew in a deep breath before reaching down and picking her up. "Please Billy." Her arms tightly around his neck as Billy cringed.

"Give me her," Evie said standing next to Billy. She didn't want her goddaughter anywhere near him right now. "I said give me her Billy." Billy's eyes glazed over now were burning into hers.

"Evie stop it," Brayden said trying to pull her back. A security guard was already standing near them since the commotion Evie had caused when she first walked in. "Not in front of her." Billy took a step back, not even willing to hand Savannah over to her. Evie's face was turning every shade of red as she reached out one more time.

"Excuse me," a voice cut in making everyone snapped their heads. Detective Wallis was standing a few feet away, two officers right beside her. "I know this is a difficult time-"

"You don't know shit," Billy breathed his eyes now glaring towards her. Savannah wiggled around slanting her head towards the Detective. Evie quickly grabbed Savannah out of Billy's arms walking back towards her seat.

"So who would like to tell me what happened first?" Detective Wallis asked staring straight at Billy.

"Think this can wait?" Billy asked harshly his eyes falling towards Savannah. She followed his gaze seeing the little girl staring at her.

"Fine," she replied. "But don't plan on leaving." She took a few steps walking towards the nurses station as she leaned over talking quietly with the woman behind the counter. Billy could feel Evie pulling Savannah out of his arms as he reluctantly let go, not wanting to make a further scene. He was still pacing back and forth, the minutes ticking by slowly. The only thing the nurse would tell them was that Celes was still in surgery. There was no telling whether or not she would make it.

It would only be a matter of time before Detective Wallis started sparking off her questions. Billy's mind was getting caught between what he needed to do and he should be doing to save his own ass. There were two officers standing guard down by the ext and two security guards at the other end of the hallway. If he wanted to go anywhere, they would surely follow, watching his every move like a hawk. Evie was sitting guard next to Savannah, her eyes narrowed never leaving Billy's direction. The ring of his cell phone ripped through the hallway as he glanced down to see Heco's number pop up on the screen. He darted his eyes towards Bodie who nodded his head as Billy took a few steps away from the sitting area and turned his back towards everyone.

"Yea?" he said his voice low and steady.

"We got the motherfucker Billy," Heco said enthusiastically. Billy's eyes bulged out. Although Marcus was the only reason why Celes was laying in the hospital bed, for a mere moment, the thought of killing him had slipped his mind. "We're taking his bitch ass down to the Office. What do you want us to do?"

"Wait," he said seeing Detective Wallis pop her head around him. Baggy was standing a few feet away from her staring hard at Billy.

"Can't you read the sign Mr. Darley?" she asked pointing to the plastic sign embedded on the wall that read 'No Cell Phones Allowed'. Billy narrowed his eyes as he tossed the phone towards Baggy.

"You heard her," Billy said giving a look as Baggy quickly mumbled something on the other end. Detective Wallis shifted her eyes between the two before she cleared her throat.

"Care to share what that conversation was about?"

"No, I don't," Billy replied flatly seeing Baggy shoving the phone in his pocket wearing a slight smile.

"Where is he Billy?" Detective Wallis demanded. He sniffed, wiping his mouth and placed his glazed over eyes on her.

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"_Marcus_," she spat her own eyes glaring at him. "Or should I ask what you have done with him?" Billy's head tilted back as he shrugged his shoulders. "I just got a phone call from the chief of police saying there is a possible homicide down at the dock. Was that were Celes was stabbed at? Did Marcus take her down there?" She kept flying questions at him, Billy's dead set eyes burning into hers as he shrugged his shoulders to every question. "Fine, you want to play games this way Mr. Darley, I can do that. Once the chief calls me back, I'm taking you downtown. Where you're going to sit in a holding cell until I get the time to come back around. And I will find something to put your ass away for a very long time." She walked off, her heels clicking across the floor. Billy drew in a deep breath and popped his neck. There was no way he was going to any damn police station at a time like this. Scanning the room again, he saw the two officers that were guarding the exit now speaking to Detective Wallis. Her phone rang as Billy cursed under his breath. Bodie and Baggy both walked towards him and leaned in.

"Heco's got the fucker down at the Office," he said glancing at Baggy. "Did you tell him to wait for me?" Baggy nodded his head already knowing that there was no way Billy would allow anyone else to take Marcus out. This was something he had to do himself.

"We gotta get the fuck out of here dog," Bodie said glancing back at Evie. "I know it's fucked up to leave at a time like this, but it's either get out now or get out in handcuffs." Billy leaned against the wall, his fingers drumming against it as he tried to think of a plan. He didn't want to leave, not without knowing if she was okay or not. He nudged his head telling his boys to go sit back down. Bodie had only made it a few feet away before the sound of a cell phone started ringing. Billy turned his head seeing Detective Wallis on her phone. Bodie slowly sat back down in the chair and mumbled to Brayden what was going on.

"Billy Darley," Detective Wallis announced loudly snapping her phone together and pointing at him. Brayden's eyebrows shot up as he looked over. He knew that they were going got take Billy in, and he knew that couldn't happen. Evie's eyes were falling on him, knowing exactly what he was thinking, as she slowly starting shaking her head.

"Brayden," she hissed, but it was too late. Brayden clutched his check, letting out a loud groan, as he quickly flung himself on the tile floor of the hospital. His body started shaking, flopping around everywhere like a fish. Evie glanced back over at Billy, seeing him slowly take a couple steps back. Bodie was already on his feet, Baggy backing up in the direction Billy was headed. As much as she blamed him, hell, even all of them, and as much hatred she was feeling, she knew what she had to do. Be Celes's best friend and do what she would have wanted her to do. Save their asses.

"Somebody help!" Evie shouted jumping out of her chair. Detective Wallis and the two officers were coming towards Brayden now shouting for a nurse to come over.

"Go," Evie mouthed as the three men turned and fled down the hallway. Everything happened so fast, Brayden being picked up off the floor and thrown onto a gurney before Detective Wallis could even realize that Billy and his two boys had disappeared. The air whooshed around them as they broke out into a run across the hospital parking lot towards the mustang. While Billy ran, his heart pounding, his mind so lost and confused, he wasn't able to see the surgeon that had been desperately working on Celes walk out into the waiting room. He wasn't able to see Brayden shooing up from the gurney or Evie grabbing Savannah from the chair as the surgeon approached them. And he wasn't able to hear the words that were slowly coming from the doctor's mouth, or see the look on everyone's face, as he gave them the verdict of Celes's life.

--

It's funny how it only felt like a punch. Like she had just gotten into a fight with someone, more like she had just been sucker punched really. It didn't feel like a knife had plunged through her at all. Although she could hear Billy's voice loud trying to keep her awake, something was pulling her. Everything was happening so fast. The swarm of people cutting off her clothes, everything coming in and out. Things were fading, shallow breaths escaping her mouth before she saw the darkness. It was cold there, no light, and she felt herself being drawn away. She didn't want to go there, because she could still feel her heart beating, giving her that sign that she was still alive. That she was still in her own body, but everything else was numb. Suddenly there was a flash and it all became very real to her. Memories flooding her mind, but none of it felt like it was the end. More like a dream, a crazy dream, doors opening as she stepped in to see what was like a movie being played in front of her. The better days before her mother became an addict, pushing her on the rope swing outside their tiny house. Her grandmother's warm caring smiling face she held anytime something went wrong. The moments of Evie and her sneaking out of the house, Keaton kissing her for the first time, her having to pick Brayden up from a party, all of them were there.

But it was all a dream, right? Because she couldn't be dying. No, that couldn't be happening to her. All of it was becoming overwhelming, so many memories making her eyes fill with tears. Another flash came across with Savannah staring at her. Suddenly her heart started to ache, seeing her daughter's face, the wide smile, the bouncing curls, and the bright blue eyes. "_Mommy_," the tiny voice whispered. Celes could hear herself choking as reached out towards the image in front of her, not wanting to let her life go or her daughter go. Suddenly before her fingertips were even able to come near her, she felt herself being flung back.

"I've got a heart beat!" someone shouted. "Celes, can you hear me? My name is Doctor Todd, you're in the emergency room. You've lost a lot of blood-" As much as she tried to strain to hear him, she could feel it again. Her vision started to blur again, the darkness creeping up on her, sucking her back into the place she had just been.

"She's crashing!"

"_Mommy," Savannah said dancing her rag doll across the dash of the truck as they drove along the freeway. "Is Luke going to come stay with us?" Celes looked over at her daughter through her bloodshot eyes. Why her daughter was awake at four in the morning was beyond her. But it was the only way to get out, while Luke was passed out piss drunk. _

"_No sweetie," she said reaching over and brushing a few curls out of her face. "Luke is going to stay at our old house." _

"_Good," Savannah stated as Celes raised her eyebrows. "Does Aunt Evie have cartoons on her TV?" Celes let out a laugh seeing the exit sign a few feet up ahead. Actually seeing the sign in front of her made her body feel more at ease. They would be safe here, she could already feel it. A fresh start, a new beginning, that's all she wanted. Not for her though, more importantly for Savannah. _

"_I think Aunt Evie already has a TV set up in your room," she said turning over in the next lane and getting onto the ramp. There was another moment of silence as Celes let out a yawn. Only twenty more minutes and she would be at her new home._

"_Mommy," Savannah said dropping the doll onto the seat. "Will Luke stay away forever?" She slowly turned her head staring at her daughter. _

"_Honey," she said trying to think of the right words to say. "We're going to start a whole new life here. Just you, me, and Aunt Evie."_

"_What about Molly Dolly?" Savannah asked dangling her rag doll around._

"_We can make room for Molly Dolly too," she said as Savannah smiled widely. Savannah rambled on some more, as Celes laughed at the things her daughter would come up with. This was the right decision, she could feel it. A new life. A new beginning. That's all they needed, and everything would be okay._

That memory started to eat away at her as she felt her body start to tingle. A new life is what she had promised her daughter, and she knew she couldn't leave her without making that promise. Her lungs started to feel with sharp pains as she could hear the doctors again, their voices fading in and out of her ears. Yes, she would fight this, she would come out of the darkness. As she tried to fight, something flashed in front of her again, her body started to ease back to the warmth.

_She felt his hand brushing a few strands of hair out of her face as she gazed up at him. His eyes were lightened, not as intense as they had been, as a small smile spread across her face. Tilting her head up she placed her lips on his, feeling that chill. The white sheet was draped across both of them, his hand on the curve of her back. She could feel him pulling back from her, and she didn't want the kiss to end._

"_What?" she asked lightly with a tiny smirk on her face. He slightly smiled back at her as she his eyes scan her face. She felt those tiny butterflies in her stomach again, those ones that happened every time he looked at her this way. It always made her wonder what he was thinking. More importantly, these small glimpses, the vulnerable moments, th times she knew he didn't know she was looking, when she saw it. All the bad qualities about him disappeared when moments like this happened. He wasn't the cold hearted ruthless man that he portrayed out on the streets. He wasn't the same man she met at the Diner, which seemed like years ago. There was the other side of him. The side of him he didn' t want to show, but she could still see it. The part of him that did care, that loved not only her, but her daughter. Although his reasonings were sometimes beyond irrational, she knew that he would always be there right by her side. Because she knew him better than anyone did, and she knew he was not or would never be the monster that he was capable of being._

"_Do you love me?" he asked his voice deep but soft. She smirked at him again, pulling her face to his. Their lips just barely touching as she looked into his eyes._

"_I have never loved anyone the way I love you. Question is, do you love me?" She left her lips in front of his, waiting for him to answer. It wasn't something he shouted from the rooftops or said on a daily basis like a normal couple did. But right, in this moment, she had to hear those words. She had to let that warmth feeling consume her like it did every time. _

"_I love you Celes," he said before she felt his lips on hers. It was a deep meaningful kiss making her draw him in closer. Their bodies clinging together, her not wanting to let go of him. She never wanted to let go. Once she did, she knew what was going to happen. When they pulled away, they were both out of breath, their eyes locked onto one another again. She placed her hand up, her fingertips tracing along the scars that slashed his face. Funny how they almost seemed invisible to her. _

"_Are things always going to be like this?" she whispered. He sniffed, his eyes growing intense._

"_Celes you know who I am," he said his voice steady and stern._

"_I do know who you are," she stated. "And you will never become _him. _But I just need to know that after this is all said and done, things will get better. That we can have a life together." There was a slight pause before he nodded his head. _

"_Things will get better," he said kissing her temple. _

The memory grew dark, suddenly there was a bright light surrounding her making the tightness in her chest ease. Then she saw it. And a small smile crept across her face as the doors started to close one by one. Something in her heart told her that this wasn't going to be exactly the end.

--

The car flew up towards the Office as Billy slammed on the brakes. He jumped out of the vehicle not even waiting for Bodie and Baggy to get out. Before he could reach the steps he heard a barreling voice shouting out at him. He stopped, cranking his neck to see Bones storming towards him.

"Well what are we fucking up tonight son?" he belted out shoving Billy back. Billy's face twisted as he stumbled back.

"What the fuck do you want now?" he demanded. He didn't have time for this shit now.

"It looks like you're in some fucking hurry! You wanna explain to me why the fuck no one is covering their corners tonight?" Billy glanced over at Bodie and Baggy nudging his head for them to get inside. Bones didn't even pay attention to the two men that were charging towards the building. His anger was dead set on his son. "How many times do I have to keep wiping your fuckin' nose? You still crying over your baby brother? Is that the fuckin' case? Well let me lay it out for you. He's dead! Good fuckin' riddance!" Billy's mind was gone now, and the only thing he wanted to do was get rid of him. For all the shit he had done to Joe and him when they were kids. For never actually being a father. Most of all for making Billy the person that he had become. "But you're still alive, which means you still fuckin' work for me. So whatever the fuck is so important right now better erase from that head of yours. And get your asses down to your spots! Do I need to give you anymore fucking instructions?!" _Pop! _The bullet flew through his glasses, making it split into a spiderweb affect as blood came spilling out. Billy didn't even watch his father fall, whatever rational thinking he had was completely gone now. The only thing he could taste was revenge on his tongue as he ran up the stairs of the Office, not even giving what he had just done a second thought.

Billy's face showed the look of a crazed maniac as he stormed through the hallway. His whole entire body was clenched, beat red, as he headed into the main room where they cooked their shit. Heco and Jamie were leaning against the doors that led into the Chapel.

"Tell me that motherfucker is still alive," Billy spat.

"Alive and waiting," Heco smirked as he pushed open the door. He stepped in seeing Marcus tied to a chair, duct tape over his mouth. His breathing was intense as he stared at Marcus. He was already bleeding from the head, a few bruises on his face. His head was dangling low as he slowly lifted it up. Even though he was beaten, he was still giving Billy a smirk through his eyes making Billy furious. Billy charged towards him, ripping the gun from his waistband and stopped abruptly. Extending his arm out, the end of the gun was pointed right at Marcus's forehead. His hands were shaking, his eyes having tunnel vision, his whole body consumed in rage. It would be simple to just shoot him right now, but he didn't want that. He wanted Marcus to feel real pain. The same pain that was consuming his chest. Billy swung his hand up, crashing the butt end of the gun into Marcus's nose. He could hear a muffled groan as Billy started to lash out over and over again. Kicking the chair over, Marcus flew backwards as Billy's foot swung up, kicking him in the side. Taking a step back, Billy nodded his head towards Bodie and Heco who walked over, quickly undoing the rope. Billy sniffed, wiping his mouth, and let out a deep growl. His fist collided with Marcus's face again with such force, Bodie and Heco lost their grip, Marcus flying down to the floor. Billy was clobbering him now, giving him the beat down that no one had ever seen before. Popping noises were made, bones being broken, but Marcus couldn't even fight back if he tried. Each blow to his body was severe, blood spattering from his eyes, mouth, and nose. Billy was breathless by the time he finally took a step back. Marcus laid crumpled up on the floor, not even recognizable now.

"Get him up!" Billy ordered as Bodie and Heco yanked Marcus's dead weight body off the floor. Billy walked towards him ripping the duct tape off his mouth. They were nose to nose now, Marcus shallow breaths hitting his face.

"You got any last words motherfucker?" Billy seethed.

"Fuck you Darley," Marcus said, his voice more in a cracking whisper. One eye was completely swollen shut, the other one barely even open as he glared towards him. Billy's eyes were wide and dark as he shoved the gun into Marcus's mouth. He wanted to make sure that his face was the last thing Marcus saw before he ended his pathetic life. Words couldn't even describe what Billy wanted to say to him, instead a crazy deep growl escaped his throat. It sounded like a beast charging through the night as Billy's lip pursed together, his eyes exploding as he pulled the trigger. The blood spattered across Billy's face as he watched in slow motion the lights go out in Marcus's eyes. He was falling towards the floor, Billy's heart not even beating as he tilted his head down staring at him. After a few minutes of silence Billy sniffed, taking a step back.

"Get rid of this shit, and take care of that fat fuck outside" he mumbled before slowly walking towards the door. Bodie stared over at his friend knowing what he meant by the last part, almost wanting to ask him to repeat what he had just said. But right now, he knew better. Baggy went towards them helping them drag Marcus's body out. Billy leaned against the wall, his head down as he shoved a cigarette in his mouth. Funny how none of it felt like good. He thought he would get some sort of self satisfaction taking Marcus out. But he didn't. For the first time in his life, Billy didn't feel anything at all. He didn't even feel anger, he was just numb. His cell phone started to ring as he yanked it out of his pocket.

"Yea," he mumbled lighting the cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs.

"It's Brayden," the voice said.

"How is she?" Billy asked quickly glancing over seeing his boys dragging Marcus away. Brayden's words came out so fast, telling him what the surgeon had said. Billy didn't respond at all, letting the phone drop to the floor as he stormed out of the building.

--

Marcus still hadn't been found and maybe one day someone might stumble across his cold dead body at the bottom of the river. Detective Wallis had tried everything her power to pin the deaths of the men at the warehouse and Marcus disappearance on Billy, but nothing stuck. What surprised him more was that Evie had covered his ass. Telling the police that Marcus had called Billy, telling him where he had left Celes to die. An alleyway in the bad side of town where most deaths became quick cold cases. It was the story that everyone had stuck too, leaving Detective Wallis no choice but to file the warehouse shootings as just another gang rival. And that Marcus had simply skipped town.

The black mustang roared, autumn leaves whipping into the air as Billy made a turn on the next street. The car slowly approached the curb, the engine idling, as Billy slowly turned his head. There was a moving van parked in the driveway already completely filled with everything that once belonged in the house. He didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the place that was once his home. It almost seemed like someone else's life, someone he didn't even know.

Brayden stepped out onto the porch, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he leaned back into the door way and yelled for Savannah. He could see Billy stepping out of his car. Dark circles were formed under his dead eyes, his face pale as he walked across the yard.

"You only got a few minutes, Evie's on her way home," Brayden said as Savannah stepped out from the door. She tilted her head back and stared up at Billy.

"Hi Billy," she said, her voice not as chipper as it use to be. Brayden hesitated for a moment before stepping back into the house. He knew Evie would kill him if she found out he allowed Billy to be here. But he knew not only Savannah, but Billy needed this. Today was their last day in Boston before they moved back to their hometown. It had been both of their decision in the end. Everything about this place was just a reminder of what had happened.

Billy eased himself down on the steps as Savannah plopped down next to him. He reached out ruffling her hair a bit, cracking a tiny smile staring at her.

"Aunt Evie says we have to move," she said quietly. "Are you going to come with us?" Billy dropped his hand and shook his head. Savannah's face fell, her eyes falling down on the steps. "Uncle Brayden said mommy is up in Heaven with my daddy now. But I don't want her to be there. I want her to be here with me." Billy inhaled a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"I know kid," he said reaching over and pulling her towards him. He could see her bottom lip start to quiver as he reached over retying the strings of her cape that were loosely hanging. "Remember what I said about superheros?"

"Yeah," she said a tiny tear streaming down her face. "But I don't feel like a superhero anymore." Billy sniffed tying the knot as he looked down at her.

"Me either" he mumbled. The whole trip to the house he wasn't for sure what he wanted to say to her. Still as he sat there, he didn't know.

"Do you miss mommy?" Billy nodded his head as another tear rolled down her face. He heard Brayden clearing his throat knowing that his time was up.

"I have to leave now," Billy said breathing out another deep breath. Quickly he reached around his neck, his fingers fumbling with the chain as he slipped the silver cross off. He stared down at it for a moment. He could still remember the first time the necklace had become his. He reached over putting it around her neck, hooking the tiny loops together. Savannah picked up the cross balancing it in her tiny hand. "When I was little, my mother gave this to me telling me it would protect me from all the bad things. And I want you to have it, so it can protect you, just like it protected me." Billy sniffed and quickly stood up, placing his sunglasses over his eyes.

"Billy," Savannah's voice squeaked. "Will you come visit me at my new house?" He glanced over at Brayden who was giving him a weary look.

"I'll try kid," he said ruffling her hair one last time knowing that he would never see her again. He knew she would have a better life without him being in it. Because he was not a father, and he didn't know why he ever thought he could be one. He wasn't able to protect the people he loved, the way he had sworn he would. Brayden stepped out from the door, a brown envelope in his hand as he handed it to Billy. He felt Savannah wrap her arms around his legs.

"I'm going to miss you Billy," she said as he leaned down embracing her in a hug.

"I'm going to miss you too Savannah," he said giving her a kiss on her forehead. Brayden was calling Savannah back into the house now. Billy started across the lawn, heading towards his mustang, a cigarette already in hand, when he heard her shout out his name. He turned around seeing her pull the strings off her cape.

"Here," she said handing it to him. He stared down at it.

"No kid, you keep it."

"You're the real superhero," she stated placing it in his hands.

"Savannah, come on!" Brayden yelled from the front door. Billy nodded his head as Savannah gave him one last flash of a her smile before darting towards the front. He climbed back into his car, placing the cape onto the seat and opened up the brown envelope Brayden had given him. Inside there were few pictures. A couple of Celes with Savannah, both of them smiling wide. He grunted staring down at them, but the last one was a picture of all three of them. He could remember that day. They were outside, Billy sitting on the stoop, Celes next to him with Savannah on his lap. He hadn't known the picture was being taken. Evie had snapped it randomly that day. He had a slight smile on his face staring at Celes who was looking back at him. Savannah was blowing bubbles, her eyes wide as stared at them forming from the the wand. Billy placed the pictures back into the envelope and stared up his car. He took one last at the house, taking it all in before he headed back to the life he only knew.

--

He could still see her. Every second of the day he saw the beautiful smile she held, the way she looked at him when she would brush a few strands of hair from her face. She haunted his dreams, her voice whispering in his ear. Some days he would find himself taking a second glance at a random stranger on the street with a child. But it was never her, and the child was never the little girl he once called his daughter. In the life he had chosen, he knew that the risks were high. He had lost people before, but loosing Joe, and then her, had taken a toll on him. This was a sort of pain he never thought he was capable of feeling. No matter how many lines he snorted or how much Jack he would consume, the pain would not never let up. It was always there, consuming his mind, making him more bitter day in and day out. Months had gone by quickly, some days longer than others, and half the time he didn't even know what day it was anymore. Sometimes things happen in our lives that change us. Make us want to revaluate ourselves, maybe even change for the better, but for him this didn't happen. With Bones dead, he ruled the streets of Boston with no mercy. His boys could see a difference in him, his voice almost as worse as his bite was. If she was still alive, maybe he would have never turned into the monster he was now. But the heart that he once had was no longer there. It didn't matter what happened now. Nothing really did. Because Billy Darley no longer had anything to live for.

**THE END**

Before you start throwing things at me, this is my spill. When I first started this story, I always intended on this ending. Watching the movie, it made me wonder, besides having Bones as a father, what could really drive someone to become a monster like Billy was. Even though I took my own spin on things, this is kind of what I had in mind. I did grow quite attached to my characters and even tried writing a different ending, but it just felt right doing it this way. So now I'm going to go run and hide, but another HUGE thank you for everything!! You guys rock!!


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